Notorious War Criminal Ratko Mladic Dies in UN Custody
Ratko Mladic, known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” died on Thursday while held by the United Nations. He was 80 years old. Mladic was convicted of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. This event saw at least 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed. It was Europe’s worst crime against humanity since World War Two.
The Srebrenica killings happened in a UN-declared “safe area” in Bosnia. Mladic’s forces also shelled Sarajevo daily during the Bosnian War. About 10,000 people died there. He used artillery, tanks, and heavy machineguns against the city.
The UN tribunal said Mladic’s goal was “ethnic cleansing.” This meant forcing Bosnian Muslims and other non-Serbs out of their lands. His aim was to clear Bosnian lands for a “Greater Serbia.”
The tribunal found Mladic conspired with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic. They were part of a plan to carry out these crimes.
Mladic always refused to accept the court. In 2014, he said, “I do not recognise this court.” When he got a life sentence in 2017, he shouted, “This is all lies, you are all liars!”
Mladic’s lawyer, Dragan Ivetic, confirmed his death. He did not give a cause of death. Mladic had spent his last months in a hospital ward. This was inside the UN detention center in The Hague.
Mladic was arrested in 2011 after years of hiding. He had suffered a stroke. His health worsened over time. He often appeared sick and frail in court.
Munira Subasic lost her son and husband in Srebrenica. She called Mladic “a symbol of all horrible crimes.” She said, “Our girls were raped, and boys killed, only because they were Muslim.”
His appeals to overturn his conviction were rejected in 2021. Requests for release due to poor health were also denied. Doctors had warned his death could happen soon. But the court said his release was not in the interests of justice.
