Convicted Bosnian Serb War Criminal Ratko Mladić Dies at 84

Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992–95 Bosnian War, has died at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague.

The United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) confirmed that Mladić died on Thursday, August 27, 2026, while hospitalised in The Hague, Netherlands. The UN said Dutch authorities had begun the standard procedures and investigations into his death, while the Mechanism’s president ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Mladić was one of the most notorious figures of the Bosnian War and became known internationally as the “Butcher of Bosnia”. He commanded the Bosnian Serb Army and was a central figure in the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed.

After spending years as a fugitive following the war, Mladić was arrested in Serbia on May 26, 2011, ending a 16-year effort to bring him before an international court. He was transferred to The Hague days later.

In November 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. His convictions and sentence were upheld on appeal in June 2021.

Among the crimes for which he was convicted were genocide related to Srebrenica, persecution, extermination, murder, deportation and forcible transfer, as well as terror and unlawful attacks against civilians.

Mladić’s health had deteriorated significantly in recent years. In April 2026, his lawyers sought his temporary or conditional release on humanitarian grounds, arguing that he was suffering from advanced and irreversible medical decline.

The UN tribunal later rejected the request, saying that although his condition was dire and he was in the final stages of his life, the detention facility provided appropriate medical care and did not worsen his condition.

Serbian state broadcaster RTS reported that Mladić died in a prison hospital after suffering several strokes, while his family also confirmed his death to the Associated Press. The UN, however, has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances of his death.

Mladić’s death closes the life of one of the central figures of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the Second World War, but his legacy remains deeply divisive.

For survivors and families of victims, his conviction represented an important measure of international justice. At the same time, Mladić remained unrepentant and continued to reject the legitimacy of the tribunal, while some Serbian nationalists continued to portray him as a hero.

His death comes 15 years after his arrest and nearly three decades after the end of the Bosnian War. He spent his final years in detention in The Hague, serving a life sentence imposed for crimes committed during the conflict.

The UN has now begun an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death, while his conviction and life sentence remain a defining part of the international legal record of the Bosnian War.