Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb militia leader and convicted war criminal, has died in prison at the age of 84. Mladic was serving a life sentence for his role in the genocide that occurred in Srebrenica, which was the first genocide on European soil since World War II. Earlier this year, Serbia requested that Mladic be allowed to receive medical treatment outside prison, citing a serious health condition. The United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals stated that Mladic was receiving adequate medical care while in detention.
Mladic, often referred to as the "Butcher of Bosnia," was a prominent military commander during the wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a life sentence handed down by international courts.
His most infamous actions were linked to the genocide in Srebrenica, where Bosnian Serb forces under his command seized the town in July 1995, despite it being declared a "safe area" by the UN. Following the capture, more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed by Mladic’s forces. Many victims were executed at various locations, while others were killed while attempting to escape.
The remains of around 1,000 victims are still being sought, with international courts establishing that the killings constituted genocide. Srebrenica has become a symbol of one of the gravest crimes committed in Europe since World War II.
Mladic was born in Bozanovici near Kalinovik, approximately 40 kilometers south of Sarajevo. He began his military career in the Yugoslav People’s Army and rose through the ranks. After Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Mladic was appointed commander of the Republika Srpska’s army, which sought to create a separate Serb state within the country.
His forces were responsible for numerous atrocities, including a campaign of terror against Sarajevo’s civilian population, which was besieged for almost 44 months. More than 11,500 people from all ethnic groups were killed during the siege, which became one of the defining episodes of the Bosnian war.
After the war, Mladic evaded arrest for nearly 16 years, becoming one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives. He was arrested in Serbia in May 2011 and transferred to The Hague for trial. His arrest was a key condition for Serbia’s progress towards closer relations with the European Union.
In 2017, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes. Despite his convictions, Mladic continues to have support among certain segments of the Serbian public, with murals depicting him still visible in areas with predominantly Serb populations. This reflects a broader issue of confronting the legacy of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where denial of the Srebrenica genocide remains a significant problem.
According to the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, 149 cases of public denial of the Srebrenica genocide were recorded in the first quarter of 2026, an increase from 99 cases in 2025. In May 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, aimed at preserving the memory of the victims and promoting a culture of remembrance.