Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army and one of the most notorious figures of the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, has died in The Hague. He was 84 and was serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The news of his death was announced by Lidija Pavićević, Serbia's State Secretary for Human Rights and Minorities, after being informed by Mladić's son, Darko Mladić, as reported by the Tanjug agency and ANSA.
Mladić's health had been severely deteriorating for some time. Since 2024, he had been in a prison hospital in The Hague and had been bedridden for about a year and a half. In recent months, Belgrade had requested his release on humanitarian grounds, claiming he was terminally ill and had suffered one or more strokes.
These requests were denied by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which stated that the inmate was receiving necessary palliative care.
Link to From Military Commander to Srebrenica DefendantFrom Military Commander to Srebrenica Defendant
Ratko Mladić's name is indelibly linked to the Bosnian War and, in particular, the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.
As the commander of the Republika Srpska army during the conflict, Mladić led the Bosnian Serb forces during the war's most intense phase. Following the capture of Srebrenica, declared a "safe area" by the United Nations, over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
International justice has classified these killings as genocide.
In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Mladić to life imprisonment, holding him responsible for the Srebrenica genocide, the persecution and deportation of non-Serb populations, and the campaign of terror against civilians during the siege of Sarajevo. The life sentence was upheld on appeal in 2021.
Before facing trial, Mladić evaded capture for about sixteen years. He was arrested in Serbia in May 2011 and subsequently transferred to The Hague.
Link to A Death That Doesn't Heal the WoundA Death That Doesn't Heal the Wound
The death of the former general does not erase one of the deepest divisions left by the Balkan wars.
For survivors and the victims' families, Mladić remains the man convicted by international justice for some of the most heinous crimes committed in Europe since World War II.
The Mothers of Srebrenica, responding to the news of his death, emphasized that his passing cannot alter or diminish the crimes confirmed by international courts. The death of the perpetrator, they argue, does not close the chapter nor change the judicially established facts.
In contrast, some reactions from Serbia and Republika Srpska were notably different.
The nationalist and pro-government Belgrade newspaper Politika remembered Mladić as the commander of the Bosnian Serb army and a "symbol of the defense of Republika Srpska," highlighting how the memory of the war remains deeply divided.
Link to Dodik: "We Will Not Forget His Role"Dodik: "We Will Not Forget His Role"
Milorad Dodik, former president of Republika Srpska, also paid tribute to the former general, expressing condolences to the family.
Dodik stated that Republika Srpska "will not forget his role" and expressed regret that Mladić could not spend his final days outside of prison due to his health condition.
In his statements, Dodik portrayed the former commander as a key figure in the struggle of the Bosnian Serb people and once again challenged the interpretation of his responsibilities.
These comments starkly contrast with the final rulings of international justice, which attributed individual criminal responsibility to Mladić for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Link to The Weight of Memory in the BalkansThe Weight of Memory in the Balkans
Ratko Mladić's death comes more than thirty years after Srebrenica, yet it underscores how the past continues to weigh heavily on the present in the Balkans.
The figure of the former general remains at the center of two radically different narratives: that of the victims and international verdicts, which document his responsibilities for genocide and other crimes, and that of segments of Serbian nationalism that continue to depict him as a commander who defended his people.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved