‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic is dead — but where are the other key figures from the Balkan wars?

Following the death of Ratko Mladic, the “Butcher of Bosnia,” questions have arisen regarding the fates of other key figures in the Balkan conflicts. Among them is the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who orchestrated a campaign of ethnic cleansing that forced over a million non-Serbs to flee their homes in Bosnia, along with widespread killings and rapes.

Karadzic evaded capture for 13 years before his arrest in 2008 under a false identity. He was convicted in The Hague in 2016 on 11 counts, including genocide, and was sentenced to life in prison, which was later increased to life in jail.

Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 while on trial, was accused of inciting ethnic conflict and mass murder in the former Yugoslavia. He was charged with 66 counts, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. An official report stated that he had suffered a heart attack while in custody.

Utranationalist Serb politician Vojislav Seselj, known for advocating a "Greater Serbia," was found guilty on appeal by UN judges in 2018 of crimes against humanity. Seselj's speeches incited violence against Croats, Muslims, and other non-Serbs, resulting in the deaths of numerous individuals.

Croatian general Ante Gotovina, a war hero among many Croats, was sentenced to 24 years in jail in 2011 for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Croatia’s 1991-1995 war. He was acquitted on appeal of charges related to the killing of ethnic Serbs in a Krajina region operation.

Paramilitary leader Zeljko "Arkan" Raznatovic, also known as "Arkan," headed the feared "Tigers" paramilitary outfit during the Bosnian War. He was indicted in 1997 for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Bosnia and was killed in a Belgrade hotel in 2000.

Kosovo guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci and three other leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) went on trial in 2023 for war crimes related to the Kosovo independence war against Serbia. The verdict is pending, and Thaci denies the charges, which include murder and torture.