Five associations ask the president of the Hague Mechanism, Gatti Santana, to reject the request for Mladić's release

(Patria) - On behalf of five victims' associations, an official request has been sent to the president of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, Gatti Santana, requesting the rejection of the proposal to transfer convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić.

We remind that the criminal's family and Serbia requested his temporary release for medical treatment, and below read what the victims' associations convey to the president of the Mechanism:

"Dear President Gratti Santana,

we are addressing you on behalf of five associations of war victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, deeply concerned by the latest requests for the temporary release of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić for medical treatment in the Republic of Serbia.

We are aware that the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals has so far consistently acted in accordance with the principles of international justice, especially when it comes to the enforcement of sentences for the most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It is precisely for this reason that we feel obliged to once again clearly and unambiguously express the position of the victims and their families.

We believe that there are no, nor can there be, credible and reliable guarantees that the convict would be returned to serve his sentence if he were transferred to a state that provided him with refuge in the past. We remind that Ratko Mladić evaded justice for years, with the support of structures from that very state to which his transfer is now being sought.

This fact alone seriously calls into question any kind of guarantees offered today. Additionally, we are concerned by the continued practice of denying the adjudicated genocide, glorifying war criminals and relativizing crimes in parts of the political structures that now advocate for his transfer. Such a context cannot ensure either legal certainty or a moral framework within which a decision on possible medical treatment could be considered justified.

For the families of victims, survivors and all those still seeking justice, any release of Ratko Mladić from the system of international supervision would represent a profound injustice and additional trauma. Such an act would be perceived as a humiliation of the victims and an undermining of the credibility of international justice.

Therefore, we call on you to remain consistent with the principles on which international criminal law is based and to reject the request for his medical treatment outside the framework that guarantees full supervision by the Mechanism.

We believe that justice must not be called into question, nor must it be subordinated to political pressures or interests. The enforcement of the sentence must remain in accordance with the verdicts and under strict international supervision, especially in cases relating to the most serious crimes against humanity.

On behalf of the victims we represent, we thank you for your continued commitment to justice and expect the Mechanism to continue to protect its integrity".