Ratko Mladic, the wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb Army who was serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, has died aged 84, Serbian media have reported.
Ratko Mladic waiting for his appeal judgment in The Hague, June 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/Jerry Lampen/Pool.
Ratko Mladic, wartime commander of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska, died on Thursday at the age of 84, Serbian public broadcaster RTS and other media outlets in the region have reported.
Mladic was being held in custody
Mladic was being held in custody at the UN Detention Unit in the Netherlands, where he was serving a life sentence for committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As head of the Bosnian Serb Army, Mladic oversaw the mass executions of over 8,000 mainly Bosniak men and boys around Srebrenica in 1995 after his forces overran the town – a crime classified by international courts as genocide.
The UN court in The Hague confirmed his conviction and life sentence after an appeal in 2021.
Mladic, who has been in custody in The Hague since his arrest in 2011, had suffered serious health problems in recent years. The UN court stated last week that he was approaching the end of his life.
Source: balkaninsight.com
