Ratko Mladic, Convicted Bosnian Serb Commander, Dies at 84

Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide and war crimes during the 1990s Bosnian conflict, died at age 84 in a UN detention facility hospital at The Hague, Netherlands, according to BBC World. The UN Court ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances of his death, and Dutch authorities have begun an investigation.

Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 war and was convicted in 2017 of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. His life sentence was upheld on appeal by the UN court in 2021. He went on the run for 16 years after the war ended before being tracked down in rural Serbia in 2011, where he was captured and moved to UN custody at The Hague.

Under his command, Bosnian Serb troops laid siege to Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, for 1,425 days. Per BBC reporting, his troops killed more than 10,000 people during that siege. His forces also carried out the massacre of 8,000 men and boys at Srebrenica, per BBC World. The conflict left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced more than a million others, according to Fox News reporting.

Mladic's forces detained non-Serb civilians and enemy soldiers in concentration camps and systematically slaughtered prisoners, Fox News reports. In court proceedings, Mladic never recognized the UN court and showed no remorse when sentenced; per Fox News, he yelled at the judges at sentencing.

In May 2026, the court rejected a bid for Mladic's release as he was nearing the end of his life. The judge agreed his situation was "dire" but ruled that he was receiving "comprehensive and compassionate treatment" in prison. Per BBC reporting, Mladic's lawyers said at the time that he had been bedbound or in a wheelchair for an extended period and had suffered a suspected stroke that left him almost unable to speak.

Responses to Mladic's death reflect deep divisions over the war's legacy. Hasan Hasanovic, a Srebrenica survivor who lost his twin brother and father in the massacre, told BBC that Mladic's death "does not bring closure because the people who were killed in Srebrenica cannot come back." Hasanovic added that "His death is just a biological necessity, and it doesn't bring to an end the political project and military project that created that legacy of genocide." By contrast, Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik told Reuters that Mladic "was respected by Serbian people" and that "As a commander he stood to defend Serbs." In Belgrade, some residents praised him; one man called Milan told Reuters "I genuinely believe he protected the Serbian people, because after all, that was his duty," and another, Vasilije, called his trial "a total injustice." Janko Seslija, a former Bosnian Serb soldier, told the Associated Press that Mladic "was an honorable man, honorable soldier and commander."