Ratko Mladić, the notorious Bosnian war criminal known as 'The Butcher of Bosnia', has died in a UN prison at The Hague aged 84. He had been serving his life sentence since 2017 for his role in the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in 1992-95.

Mladić went on the run after the Bosnian war for 15 years before eventually going on trial at The Hague. He was tracked down in rural Serbia in 2011 and put on trial in the Dutch city, where he was found guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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Long Time on the Run

In May, a UN court at The Hague rejected a bid for his release from jail as he was nearing the end of his life. The judge concurred that Mladić's situation was 'dire' but ruled that he was receiving 'comprehensive and compassionate treatment' in prison.

Mladić commanded Bosnian Serb forces in the 1990s against the Bosnian Croat and Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) armies. During the war, his troops committed 'ethnic cleansing' in Bosnia-Herzegovina, besieged the main city of Sarajevo with the deaths of more than 10,000 people, and carried out the massacre of 8,000 men and boys at Srebrenica.

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Mladić had been held at the UN detention facility since 2011. He died while receiving palliative care in the hospital of the UN detention facility, where he was being given treatment for his health issues.

Dire Situation

The news of Mladić's death marks the end of a long and bloody chapter in Bosnian history. His conviction and subsequent death serve as a reminder of the importance of holding those responsible for such atrocities accountable.

Mladić went on the run after the Bosnian war for 15 years before eventually going on trial at The Hague Convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić has passed away in a UN prison at The Hague aged 84.

He was jailed for life in 2017 for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in 1992-95.

After the Bosnian war, he went on the run for 16 years until he was finally tracked down in rural Serbia in 2011 and put on trial in the Dutch city.