Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide and war crimes, has died at the age of 84 while in custody at a hospital in The Hague, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) confirmed. Mladić, who was serving a life sentence for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, had been in the Netherlands since his arrest in 2011 after 16 years on the run.

Death and Initial Response

According to the IRMCT, Mladić died in a hospital in The Hague — the medical director of the detention center was immediately notified, and Dutch authorities initiated standard procedures and investigations. Judge Graciela Gatti Santana ordered a full investigation into the circumstances of his death, as reported by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (IStGH).

Mladić had suffered multiple strokes in recent years, according to Serbian state television RTS. His son, Darko Mladic, had previously accused the Dutch authorities of carrying out a “silent murder” of his father by refusing to transfer him to a Serbian military hospital for treatment. The Haag-based tribunal had denied the request for transfer.

Public and Political Reactions

Almasa Salihović, a spokesperson for the Srebrenica Memorial Center, stated that Mladić’s name would forever be a symbol of genocide, while her 18-year-old brother was among the 8,000 men and boys killed during the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. “This man sent him to his death with his orders,” she said, as a representative of the Mothers of Srebrenica association added that Mladić will always be remembered as a convicted war criminal in their history.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed solidarity with the victims, survivors, and their families, according to his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, though In contrast, in the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska, authorities urged citizens to honor Mladić in churches. Former president Milorad Dodik lit a candle for Mladić in a church in Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska.

Background and Conviction

Mladić was arrested in 2011 in Serbia after 16 years in hiding. He was tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and in 2017 was found guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The tribunal sentenced him to life in prison; the Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II, was a central part of the trial. Mladić was also found responsible for the siege of Sarajevo and other war crimes.

His death comes after years of health decline and amid ongoing tensions over his treatment in custody, and the circumstances surrounding his death are expected to be further investigated by the tribunal, as mandated by Judge Graciela Gatti Santana.