Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb Commander Convicted of Genocide, Dies at 84

Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide at Srebrenica and other war crimes, has died in prison in The Hague, Netherlands, at the age of 84. He was one of the most notorious military commanders during the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Earlier this year, Serbia requested that Mladic be allowed to receive medical treatment outside prison, citing his "serious" health condition. However, the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals stated that Mladic was receiving adequate medical care while in detention.

The Srebrenica Genocide

The most notorious part of Mladic's criminal legacy is tied to the genocide at Srebrenica, in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Serbia. In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under Mladic's command captured Srebrenica, despite the area being declared a "safe zone" by the United Nations.

In the days that followed, more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys were killed by Mladic's forces. Some civilians were captured and executed at sites in and around Srebrenica, while others were killed while trying to escape through the forests to reach areas held by Bosnian government forces.

Victims' bodies were found in numerous mass graves, with many identified years after the war. Around 1,000 victims remain unfound. International courts have ruled that the massacre constituted genocide.

Military Career

Mladic was born in the village of Bozanovici near Kalinovik, about 40 kilometers south of Sarajevo, the capital. He began his career in the Yugoslav People's Army and gradually rose through the command structure.

When Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in the spring of 1992, Bosnian Serbs established their own political and military structures, declaring the creation of Republika Srpska, which controlled about half of Bosnia's territory at the time. In May 1992, Mladic was appointed commander of the Republika Srpska Army.

Over the next three and a half years, he sought to seize territories held by Bosnian government forces, including the capital Sarajevo. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found Mladic responsible for a campaign of terror against civilians in Sarajevo, the kidnapping of UN peacekeepers, and other crimes.

The Siege of Sarajevo

Sarajevo was besieged by Serb forces for nearly 44 months. From positions on the surrounding hills, they shelled the city and used snipers to target civilians. More than 11,500 people of all ethnicities were killed, and many more were wounded or forced to flee their homes.

The siege is considered one of the longest sieges of a capital city in modern history.

Capture and Conviction

After the war ended in 1995, Mladic evaded arrest for nearly 16 years, becoming one of Europe's most-wanted war criminals. He was arrested in Serbia in May 2011 at the home of a relative in the village of Lazarevo, near Zrenjanin.

Mladic's arrest was a key condition for Serbia's progress toward EU membership. After being extradited to The Hague, his trial took place before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. In 2017, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Contested Legacy

Mladic retains support among segments of the public and political circles in Serbia, as well as in Republika Srpska. Murals depicting him still appear in some places, and some view him as a military hero rather than a war criminal.

Denial of the Srebrenica genocide and the glorification of war criminals remain serious issues. According to the Srebrenica Memorial Center, the first quarter of 2026 recorded 149 public instances of genocide denial, up from 99 in 2025. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in May 2024 marking July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide.