“Butcher of Bosnia” dies in prison: Hague tribunal convict is no more

The former commander of the Bosnian Serb army Ratko Mladić has died in a Hague prison. This was officially reported by Reuters international news agency.

The 83-year-old former general, who had been battling serious illnesses recently, had suffered several strokes. Although his lawyers and relatives repeatedly requested his transfer to Serbia for medical treatment, the Hague court strictly rejected these requests.

16 serious charges and the Srebrenica tragedy

Ratko Mladić remains in history as the main organizer of the most horrific massacres and war crimes committed during the Bosnian War (1992–1995):

• 1996 indictment: Mladić was accused of committing war crimes along with other leaders of the Republika Srpska. The indictment consisted of 16 counts, with "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" being the primary charges;

• 16 years in hiding: He was on the international wanted list for many years, only being captured in Serbia in 2011 and handed over to the Hague court.

Life imprisonment and the final verdict

The International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia conducted a trial against Mladić that lasted several years:

• 2017 verdict: The international court found the former commander guilty of the mass massacre in Srebrenica, the siege of Sarajevo, and atrocities committed against civilians, sentencing him to life imprisonment; Rejection of appeal:

• In 2021, the Hague appeals court reviewed the defense's complaint and upheld the previous life sentence. Thus, one of the main perpetrators of the bloodiest conflicts of the late 20th century ended his final days behind prison walls.

Shu tariqa XX asr oxiridagi eng qonli mojarolarning asosiy ijrochilaridan biri o‘z umrining oxirgi kunlarini qamoqxona devorlari orasida yakunladi.