Ratko Mladic trial: how the ICTY works Sixteen others, including Slobodan Milosevic, died before they could be judged. Mladic has claimed that he is too ill to withstand a trial that may last two years or more. The prosecution case alone is expected to hear testimony from more than witnesses. Survivors and victims' families fear that like his mentor Milosevic, he could evade justice by dying in detention before the trial is concluded. As the ICTY gradually wraps up its work it will be replaced by a so-called Residual Mechanism. This ad hoc body will come into effect on July 1 next year and has a four-year mandate with the option to review its work every two years.