The announcement came as the ICTY is still engaged in the high-profile trial of Ratko Mladic [ICTY backgrounder; JURIST news archive] who is facing several counts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian civil war [JURIST news archive]. Last month the ICTY postponed [JURIST report] the trial due to health problems. The prosecutors and victims have expressed concern that Ratko Mladic could die before facing a sentence, much like former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic [ICTY backgrounder; PDF] who died [JURIST report] in 2006 before the ICTY could issue a sentence against him. Ratko Mladic's first appearance [JURIST report] before the ICTY was in June of last year when he contested charges against him while simultaneously asking for more time to review them. A day after, during his second appearance [JURIST report], he refused to enter a plea without lawyers of his choice representing him and he was removed from the court for disrupting the proceedings.