Ex-Bosnian Serb commander awaits war crimes verdict

Thousands of victims of crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War are awaiting final verdict on a former top Bosnian Serb commander facing a string of charges at an international court.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), sitting at The Hague, will on Wednesday pass its judgment on an 11-point indictment against Ratko Mladic, who has been on trial since 2011.

It is among postwar Europe's most significant war crimes trials.

Among the charges are two of genocide, particularly relating to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by forces under Mladic's command.

Mladic is also known for his forces’ bloody 1,425-day siege of Sarajevo, the longest of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.

Wednesday's 523-day trial -- which heard harrowing testimony from hundreds of witnesses -- could end in the conviction of Mladic on an array of war crimes charges.

These include individual and collective counts such as committing genocide, crimes against humanity plus violations of the laws and customs of war.

Mladic, now 74, has said he regrets any innocent loss of life, but has denied the charges. His courtroom appearances have been marked by defiance, including a refusal to testify against fellow Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect, Radovan Karadzic.

Along with former president Slobodan Milosevic, Mladic and Karadzic represent the three most-senior Serb figures to have faced war crimes charges arising out of the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia after the end of communism.

A 15-year manhunt for Mladic, once dubbed the 'Butcher of Bosnia' ended in 2011 when he was found and handed over to The Hague tribunal for trial on May 31, 2011.