Ex-Bosnian Serb Leader Mladic to Appeal UN Court's Ruling – Son

Darko Mladic, the son of General Ratko Mladic, said at a press conference after the court's ruling was announced that his father considers the trial was an attempt to "accuse Serbs of all the crimes."

"We will file an appeal," the ex-commander's son said in The Hague, also saying that "justice was used for [anti-Serbian] propaganda."

Citing the talk with his father, Darko Mladic noted that the former commander considers the accusations a "lie" that has been used to "criminalize" Serbs.

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On Wednesday, ICTY sentenced Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment and declared him guilty on ten of eleven counts, including genocide of Muslims in and around the town of Srebrenica in July 1995 and violation of the laws and customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992-1995. Mladic was acquitted of just one count, which is genocide of Bosnian Muslims and Croatians.

The Tribunal refused to postpone the sentencing procedure despite Ratko Mladic suffering a hypertensive crisis while in the court building. The judges decided to continue reading the verdict while the general was hospitalized.

​Although being labeled a war criminal by many Western powers, Ratko Mladic is considered a national hero in Serbia and Republika Srpska, the predominantly Serbian autonomous region within Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

​Milorad Dodik, president of the Republika Srpska, said on the eve of the court session that Mladic remains a “legend,” noting that he has devoted his life to the protection of the Serbian people.