Ratko Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, passed away today at the age of 84. His death has been reported by Serbian media. Since 2011, Mladic had been held in a high-security prison complex in Scheveningen, where individuals accused and convicted by international courts in The Hague are detained. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Mladic to life imprisonment, finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes committed during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995. ### Srebrenica One of the main episodes of the indictment was the massacre in Srebrenica in July 1995. After the enclave was captured by Bosnian Serb forces, more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed. International courts classified the events as genocide. Srebrenica was under UN protection; however, the Dutchbat battalion stationed there was unable to prevent the mass killings. Mladic appealed his conviction, but in 2021, the life sentence was upheld. ### 16 Years on the Run After the war, Mladic was on the run for many years. He was arrested in Serbia on May 26, 2011, after nearly 16 years of fleeing, and was subsequently transferred to The Hague. Since his arrest, he spent about 15 years in custody. During the trial, Mladic showed no remorse for the crimes he committed. In recent years, his health significantly deteriorated. He had previously suffered from brain hemorrhages, and this summer, according to his son, he reportedly experienced another stroke. Serbian authorities repeatedly requested permission for Mladic to spend his final days in his homeland. Another such request was made this week. However, the requests were denied due to the severity of the crimes for which he was convicted and the life sentence imposed on him. Mladic died without ever being released. His name will primarily be associated with Srebrenica — one of the gravest crimes in Europe since World War II.
