Ratko Mladic, former Bosnian Serb military leader and convicted war criminal, has died

He was jailed for life in 2017 for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the wars in the ex-Yugoslavia in 1992-95. Sava Church in Belgrade, to attend prayers for the former Bosnian Serbian commander. (Oliver Bunic/AFP) Off The former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who led the genocide at Srebrenica and the years-long siege of Sarajevo, has died aged 84.

Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS announced his death, while his lawyer separately confirmed it to Reuters. Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”, Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during their campaign to carve an ethnically homogeneous Serb territory from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him in 2017 of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Judges found him responsible for the mass killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in July 1995 and for terrorising civilians during the siege of Sarajevo. Despite his conviction, Serbian nationalists and senior political figures continued to glorify Mladic and deny or minimise the crimes committed by Bosnian Serb forces. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Mladic evaded justice for nearly 16 years while elements of the Serbian state helped shield the convicted genocide commander from capture.

Serbian authorities finally arrested him on 26 May 2011 in a village north of Belgrade, bringing one of modern history’s longest manhunts to an end. An international tribunal convicted Mladic in 2017 of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, sentencing him to life in prison. Presiding judge Alphons Orie said Mladic’s crimes ranked “among the most heinous known to humankind.” Balkans News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

The man dubbed the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ died in the Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes. Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who was was serving a life sentence for his role in the 1992-95 war in Bosnia, has died. Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military chief dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia” for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has died, Serbian state broadcaster RTS reported on Thursday.

Mladic, 84, who had suffered several strokes in recent months, was serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity after overseeing the Srebrenica slaughter, Europe’s worst act of bloodshed since second world war. Serbian state officials and Mladic’s family had... Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide, has died.