- Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general responsible for atrocities during the 1990s Bosnian war, has died in a U.N. prison hospital at age 84. Serbian state television and Bosnian Serb media reported his death in The Hague, Netherlands.
- Munira Subasic, from the Mothers of Srebrenica group, said she had mixed feelings about Mladic’s death and deplored that Mladic’s crimes are still being denied by many Bosnian Serbs.
Ratko Mladic, the notorious Bosnian Serb general, died at 84 in a U.N. prison hospital in The Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for war crimes. His forces were responsible for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, which claimed over 8,000 lives and marked the first genocide in Europe since World War II.123
Mladic, who had been in custody since 2011 after years on the run, was sentenced in 2017 for his role in the atrocities that left more than 100,000 dead and over 1 million homeless. Known for his ruthless tactics, he commanded troops to “scorch the brains” of Bosnian Muslims and boasted of being a “Serbian God.”
During his trial, Mladic was defiant, yelling at judges, “Everything you said is pure lies. Shame on you!” His death has elicited mixed reactions, with Munira Subasic from the Mothers of Srebrenica group stating, “Today, a major war criminal died, the criminal of the Balkans.” She lamented that many Bosnian Serbs still deny Mladic’s crimes, saying, “We are still listening to denials, we are still listening to how Ratko Mladic was a hero for the Serbs.”456
Mladic’s legacy remains a painful chapter in the history of the Balkans, as the wounds of the war continue to affect survivors and victims' families.
“Mladic was serving a life sentence for war crimes, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that killed over 8,000 Muslim men and boys. Munira Subasic of the Mothers of Srebrenica said she had mixed feelings, deploring that many Bosnian Serbs still deny his crimes.”
AP News
