Rachael Brown reported this story on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 08:15:00

TONY EASTLEY: The former chief of the Bosnian-Serb army, Ratko Mladic has been removed from a war crimes courtroom in The Hague.



Mr Mladic refused to enter a plea and continuously disrupted proceedings.



He's facing 11 charges of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.



Europe correspondent Rachael Brown reports.



RACHAEL BROWN: The disrespect shown to the court was similar to the stalling tactics the world's watched from Mr Mladic's former political chief, Radovan Karadzic who's also standing trial in The Hague.



Mr Mladic tipped his cap mockingly towards some relatives of his alleged victims and refused to take the cap off, saying his head was cold.



The 69-year-old interrupted Judge Alphons Orle at every turn.



ALPHONS ORIE: Under count one, you are charged with genocide, punishable under Article 43A of the…



RATKO MLADIC (translated): I'm not going to listen to listen to this at all. Without my lawyer I'm not going to listen anymore…



ALPHONS ORIE: Mr Mladic.



RATKO MLADIC (translated): You're talking in vain. I'm not going to listen to anything without Saljic.



RACHAEL BROWN: Before the judge's patience finally wore out.



ALPHONS ORIE: The court orders that you be removed from the courtroom. Could security please escort Mr Mladic out of the courtroom.



RATKO MLADIC (translated): Not a court. Who are you?



RACHAEL BROWN: At his first appearance, the man dubbed the Butcher of Bosnia declined to plead to what he called the "obnoxious" charges.



This time round he also refused, after his request for his own lawyer rather than a court appointed one was declined because he hadn't made the request in time.



The court later revealed one of the lawyers he proposed wasn't even in the Netherlands.



Survivors of the Bosnian War, Mothers from Srebrenica, shouted he killed Muslims and should plead guilty, while Mr Mladic shouted at the judge, "You want to impose my defence. What kind of a court are you?"



But Judge Orie's mind was made up.



ALPHONS ORIE: The chamber enters a plea of not guilty on behalf of Mr Mladic.



RACHAEL BROWN: The 11 charges Ratko Mladic faces are among the most serious the war crimes tribunal has ever dealt with.



He's accused of masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe's worst mass killing since World War Two, and the 44-month siege of Sarajevo.



Dr Mark Ellis is the executive director of the International Bar Association.



He says the court will be very careful not to let this trial descend into a farce.



MARK ELLIS: In this court, probably more than any other international court has had to deal with these types of defendants who've tried to obstruct the trial process and this judge particularly won't have anything to do with that. He'll be very firm, as he was today, and he'll simply remove the defendant because the court proceedings will go on.



RACHAEL BROWN: Mr Mladic's trial could take months to get underway and it's likely to last several years.



He and Mr Karadzic face maximum sentences of life in jail.



This is Rachael Brown in London reporting for AM.