Ratko Mladić, convicted over Srebrenica genocide, dies in custody

Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb army commander convicted of genocide and war crimes, has died in hospital in The Hague while serving a life sentence. The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals confirmed his death.

Mladić was convicted over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which at least 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed. A judge has ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances of his death.

What Mladić was convicted of

The UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found that Mladić helped implement a plan to forcibly expel Bosnian Muslims, Croats and other non-Serbs from territory claimed for a greater Serbia. It also found him part of a criminal conspiracy with former Serbian president Slobodan Milošević and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadžić.

The Srebrenica killings were the culmination of the campaign. Thousands of Bosnian men and boys were rounded up and killed, while their bodies were moved into mass graves. Mladić also oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, where artillery, tank and sniper fire killed 10,000 people.

Timeline

• 1992: Mladić was chosen to command the Bosnian Serb army during the war that followed Bosnia’s secession from Yugoslavia.
• 1995: His forces carried out the Srebrenica massacre after the UN-designated safe area fell.
• 2011: Mladić was arrested in Serbia after 16 years on the run.
• 2017: A UN tribunal sentenced him to life imprisonment for genocide and war crimes.

A death that leaves an unresolved legacy

The tribunal said Mladić had been hospitalised when he died and that Judge Graciela Gatti Santana had ordered an investigation into the circumstances. He had been in ill health after a series of strokes, and a UN doctor had said earlier this month that his death could occur at any time. An application for his release had been rejected. For additional context, see “Washington expands sanctions against two International Criminal Court officials”.

Munira Subašić of the Mothers of Srebrenica group said victims’ families continued to carry the pain of the massacre while hearing denials and claims that Mladić was a hero. Elizabeth Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said his death underscored the need for justice, truth and reparations in the western Balkans.

What happens next

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals will conduct a full inquiry into the circumstances of Mladić’s death.