Ratko Mladic, Former Bosnian Serb General Convicted of Genocide, Dies at 83

Pittsburgh, PA, August 27, 2026 —

Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide and war crimes for his role in the 1990s Balkan wars, has died at the age of 83. Mladic passed away at the United Nations detention center in The Hague, where he was being held.

Mladic was widely known by the moniker ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ due to his command of Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian War (1992-1995) and his involvement in atrocities. His conviction included charges related to orchestrating the Srebrenica massacre, where more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed. He was also convicted for his role in the siege of Sarajevo and for orchestrating other war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The former general was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1995. His trial, which began in 2011, was lengthy. In 2017, the ICTY found him guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2021.

Mladic’s military leadership made him a central figure in the violent breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent conflicts. The Srebrenica massacre, considered the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II, was a key event for which he was held responsible. The United Nations detention center in The Hague serves as a facility for individuals accused or convicted by the international tribunals for war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.

Story summarized from the original created by Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk on www.wpxi.com, see more information here.

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