Ratko Mladic found guilt in The Hague

Ratko Mladic in Sarajevo in 1993. Photo: I Evstafiev.

Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander has been convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

He was convicted today in The Hague on 10 of the 11 charges against him and sentenced to life in prison.

General Mladic is remembered for the three-year siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica in 2005.

“Mladic presided over some of the darkest crimes to occur in Europe since World War II, bringing terror, death and destruction to thousands of victims, and sorrow, tragedy and trauma to countless more,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, in a press release. 

“His conviction is a testament to the courage and determination of those victims and witnesses who never gave up hope that they would see him brought to justice,” said Mr. Zeid, who served in the UN Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia from 1994 to 1996.

“Today’s verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take. They will be held accountable,” Mr. Zeid added.

General Mladic has denied the charges against him and his lawyer said he will appeal.

Genocide Memorial in Srebrenica. Photo: Peter Dudley