Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic pleaded not guilty before the Hague war crimes tribunal on Thursday to an amended indictment charging him with the execution of 30 Bosnian Muslims in the village of Bisina in July 1995.
In his first appearance in court in two months, Mladic said he was not guilty and that he had nothing to do with the charge.
He was to have entered a plea to the amended indictment in early November but the hearing was cancelled after he contracted pneumonia. The tribunal ordered him to undergo a medical check-up which would show whether he was fit to stand trial.
Mladic was arrested in May after 16 years on the run. He is accused of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, years of terrorising the residents of Sarajevo, crimes in other parts of Bosnia, and the capture of UN workers.
He complained in court today that the hearing was too fast for him and that he could not follow the English to Serbian translation through headphones.
Before entering his plea, Mladic asked if Bisina was a mountain, a river, a place or something like a bus, a truck or a helicopter. Presiding Judge Alphons Orie told him it was a place in Sekovici municipality.
