Convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Mladić dies aged 84

Convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić has passed away at the age of 84 while receiving palliative care in a UN prison at The Hague. Mladić was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Yugoslav wars between 1992-1995. After the conflict, he went into hiding for 16 years before being captured in rural Serbia in 2011 and subsequently put on trial in the Netherlands.

The UN court in The Hague upheld his sentence in 2021, but a bid for his release was rejected in May due to the dire nature of his situation. Judge agreed that he was receiving comprehensive and compassionate treatment in prison, although Mladić never recognized the court's jurisdiction. Mladić was in charge of Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian war, orchestrating ethnic cleansing and the Srebrenica massacre, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Survivors of the Srebrenica massacre, such as Hasan Hasanović, expressed their disappointment as Mladić's death does not bring closure, as the victims cannot be brought back. Bosnia's Serb leader Milorad Dodik acknowledged Mladić's respect among Serbs, while some local residents in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, praised him for protecting Serbian people. However, opinions on Mladić remain divided, with some considering his detention in The Hague an injustice.