- Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general whose forces besieged Sarajevo and carried out the worst massacre in Europe since WWII, died Thursday while serving a life sentence. He was 84.
- Munira Subasic from the Mothers of Srebrenica group expressed mixed feelings about Mladic’s death, calling him a major war criminal and noting that victims' mothers still carry pain while many Bosnian Serbs deny his crimes.
Ratko Mladic, the notorious Bosnian Serb general, died at 84 while serving a life sentence for war crimes in The Hague. Mladic was convicted in 2017 for orchestrating the Srebrenica massacre, where over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed, marking the first genocide in Europe since WWII.12
Mladic's forces laid siege to Sarajevo and established concentration camps, leading to over 100,000 deaths and more than 1 million displaced during the conflict. His defiance during the trial was evident when he shouted, "Everything you said is pure lies. Shame on you!" at the judges.
Munira Subasic, representing the Mothers of Srebrenica, expressed mixed feelings about Mladic's death, stating, "Today, a major war criminal died, the criminal of the Balkans," while lamenting the ongoing denial of his crimes by many Bosnian Serbs. She emphasized that the pain of the victims' families continues, saying, "We are still listening to denials, we are still listening to how Ratko Mladic was a hero for the Serbs." Mladic's legacy remains a contentious issue in the Balkans, reflecting the deep scars of the war that still affect the region today.345
“Mladic died at a hospital in The Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for crimes including the Srebrenica massacre. Munira Subasic of the Mothers of Srebrenica said victims' mothers 'are still carrying the pain in our souls' 31 years later, while many Bosnian Serbs still deny his crimes.”
