'Butcher of Bosnia' Ratko Mladic dies in prison at 84

Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide and other war crimes for his role in the 1992-95 conflict, when Bosnia and Herzegovina broke away from the former Yugoslavia. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.

In Short

• Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb general, died in prison aged 84
• Convicted for genocide and war crimes in 2017, including Srebrenica massacre
• Led siege of Sarajevo and ethnic cleansing during Bosnian war

Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general whose forces were responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Bosnian war, has died in prison aged 84, a UN official said Thursday. Mladic was convicted of genocide and other war crimes for his role in the 1992-95 conflict, when Bosnia and Herzegovina broke away from the former Yugoslavia. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 after being found responsible for crimes including the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.

For years, Mladic was one of the world's most wanted war crimes suspects. To his supporters, he was a military hero. To survivors and victims' families, he became a symbol of the brutality inflicted on Bosnia's Muslim and Croat communities. He became known as the "Butcher of Bosnia" because of the scale and brutality of the crimes carried out by forces under his command.

HOW DID THE BOSNIAN WAR BEGIN?

To understand why Mladic became so notorious, it helps to understand what happened to Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was a country made up of several republics and ethnic communities, including Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. When Yugoslavia began breaking apart in the early 1990s, Bosnia declared independence in 1992.

Bosnian Serb leaders opposed independence and wanted areas where Serbs lived to remain connected to Serbia. Fighting erupted between Bosnian Serb forces and forces loyal to Bosnia's government, which was largely made up of Muslims and included Croats and other groups.

Mladic became commander of the Bosnian Serb army. Under his leadership, troops captured large areas of Bosnia and used artillery, tanks and other heavy weapons to choke towns and cities under siege.

The campaign was not simply about capturing territory. It was also about reshaping it by force. Civilians were driven from their homes, communities were emptied and families were torn apart as Bosnian Serb forces sought to create areas dominated by Serbs. Prosecutors described this systematic expulsion of non-Serbs as "ethnic cleansing".

THE SIEGE OF SARAJEVO

One of the clearest examples of Mladic's military campaign was Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital. From 1992, Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city from the surrounding hills. For almost four years, residents were trapped inside while artillery and sniper fire struck homes, streets, markets and other civilian areas.

People struggled to find food, water and basic supplies. Children went to school knowing that gunfire and shelling could erupt without warning. More than 10,000 people were killed during the siege, according to the case against Mladic.

The tribunal found that his forces deliberately targeted civilians as part of a campaign intended to terrorise the population.

GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA

The crime that became most closely associated with Mladic happened in July 1995.

Srebrenica was a town in eastern Bosnia where thousands of Bosnian Muslims had gathered after fleeing fighting elsewhere. The United Nations had declared the area a "safe area", meaning civilians were supposed to be protected there.

Instead, Bosnian Serb forces led by Mladic captured the town. Men and boys were separated from women and children. More than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were subsequently killed in organised executions. Their bodies were buried in mass graves. Some graves were later dug up and the remains moved to other locations, making the killings harder to document.

The scale of the massacre shocked the world. It is regarded as Europe's worst atrocity since World War II. Mladic was filmed visiting Srebrenica as his forces took control.

"We give this town to the Serb people as a gift," he said. The following day, cameras recorded scenes of children being given sweets and civilians being promised safe passage. Behind those scenes, thousands of men and boys were being prepared for execution.

HOW DID MLADIC ESCAPE JUSTICE?

Mladic was indicted by the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1995. But he remained free for another 16 years. After the war, he lived in Serbia and was protected for years by a network of supporters and, according to investigators, by elements within the security establishment.

Even after former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic was removed from power, Mladic remained difficult to find. There were occasional reports of him appearing at football matches or other public places.

He was finally arrested in Serbia in May 2011. His capture came nearly two decades after the start of the war and ended one of Europe's longest manhunts for a war crimes suspect.

MLADIC NEVER ACCEPTED THE VERDICT

Mladic showed little remorse during his trial in The Hague. He repeatedly rejected the authority of the tribunal and denied responsibility for the crimes.

"I do not recognise this court," he said during a hearing in 2014. When judges sentenced him to life in prison in 2017, he shouted: "This is all lies, you are all liars!"

Prosecutors argued that Mladic was not simply a commander who lost control of his troops. They said he was key to a campaign designed to remove non-Serbs from territory claimed by Bosnian Serbs. ICTY prosecutor Alan Tieger called him "the master of life and death" and said he should be held accountable for the suffering inflicted on his victims.

Mladic's health deteriorated considerably after his arrest. He suffered a stroke and later a heart attack, while his lawyers repeatedly sought permission for him to leave prison on medical grounds.

His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2021. Subsequent requests for compassionate release were also rejected.

In August 2026, a UN doctor warned that Mladic's death "may occur at any time", as his health had rapidly declined. His request for early release was again rejected.

Mladic died in prison aged 84.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies