UN rights chief, US President hail 'historic' confirmation of Ratko Mladic life sentence

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet and US President Joe Biden on June 8 hailed the “historic” confirmation by a UN court of Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic's life sentence for genocide in 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The UN court upheld the life sentence for Mladic's role in the killing of around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. According to the Associated Press, the former Bosnian Serb commander was one of the last suspects to face trial at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was arrested in 2011 after 16 years on the run. 

Following the UN’s decision to uphold the conviction of Mladic, US President Joe Biden said, “This historic judgment shows that those who commit horrific crimes will be held accountable. It also reinforces our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world”. 

Biden added, “We are grateful for the tireless work of the UN tribunals over the past two decades on cases related to the conflict in the Balkans and all those whose dedication made this judgment possible. Justice and reconciliation are the foundation for peace and stability for the future, and today’s decision is also an important confirmation that this is possible”. 

The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, on the other hand, said that a ruling upholding the conviction of former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic for genocide and war crimes meant the international justice system had held him to account. She welcomed the decision and said that the verdict highlights the determination to ensure accountability. Bachelet even went on to urge government officials to strive for justice for all victims and survivors of the wars in the former Yugoslavia. 

Bachelet said, “Mladić’s crimes were the abhorrent culmination of hatred stoked for political gain. Today's decision is about his individual responsibility for his dreadful acts, not about collective punishment or apportioning guilt to any particular community”. 

She added, “I urge Governments and elected and public officials to strive for justice for all victims and survivors of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, to assuage – rather than aggravate – the region's open wounds, and to foster reconciliation and long-lasting peace. Only by honestly addressing the past can a country strive to create an inclusive future and build accountable institutions for all its citizens”. 

Ratko Mladic’s Conviction

Meanwhile, Mladic lost his appeal against a 2017 conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The five-person appeals panel found Mladic had failed to provide evidence to invalidate the previous convictions against him, although the presiding judge dissented on almost all counts. However, the Appeals Chamber also dismissed the appeal brought by the prosecution, which had sought a second conviction against Mladic over crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats in some other areas during the war.

It is worth mentioning that according to BBC, Mladic is known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”. Back in 2017, he was found guilty of genocide over Srebrenica, but acquitted of genocide over his army’s 1992 campaign, in which Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats were expelled front of their homes or detained in appalling conditions. In 2016, the same court convicted the  Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of planning the Srebrenica massacre, among other crimes. His initial 40-year sentence for genocide and war crimes was later increased to life in prison in 2019 - the remainder of which he will serve in the UK.

(Image: AP)