Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić | |
|---|---|
Ратко Младић | |
Mladić in 1993 | |
| Born | 12 March 1942 Božanovići, Independent State of Croatia |
| Nationality | Bosnian Serb |
| Political party | Serb Democratic League of Communists (formerly) |
| Children | 2 |
| Convictions | Genocide War crimes (4 counts) Crimes against humanity (5 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Republic of Serbian Krajina Republika Srpska |
| Branch | Yugoslav People's Army (until 1992) Army of Republika Srpska (1992–1996) |
| Years of service | 1965–1996 |
| Rank | Colonel-general |
| Unit | Armored divisions, artillery, special forces |
| Commands |
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| Battles / wars |
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| Awards |
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Ratko Mladić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ратко Младић, pronounced [râtko mlǎːdit͡ɕ]; born 12 March 1942) is a Bosnian Serb former military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars.[1][2][3] In 2017, he was found guilty of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He is serving a life sentence for these crimes in The Hague.
A long-time member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, Mladić began his career in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in 1965. He came to prominence in the Yugoslav Wars, initially as a high-ranking officer of the Yugoslav People's Army and subsequently as the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska in the Bosnian War of 1992–1995. In July 1996, the Trial Chamber of the ICTY, proceeding in the absence of Mladić under the ICTY's Rule 61, confirmed all counts of the original indictments, finding there were reasonable grounds to believe he had committed the alleged crimes, and issued an international arrest warrant. The Serbian and United States' governments offered €5 million for information leading to Mladić's capture and arrest, but he remained at large for nearly sixteen years, initially sheltered by Serbian and Bosnian Serb security forces and later by family. On 26 May 2011, he was arrested in Lazarevo, Serbia. His capture was considered to be one of the pre-conditions for Serbia being awarded candidate status for European Union membership.
On 31 May 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where his trial formally began on 16 May 2012. On 22 November 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison by the ICTY after being found guilty of 10 charges, one of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and four of violations of the laws or customs of war. He was cleared of one count of genocide. As the top military officer with command responsibility, Mladić was deemed by the ICTY to be responsible for both the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre.
- ^ Borger, Julian (22 November 2017). "Bosnian Serb warlord Ratko Mladić disrupts genocide verdict hearing". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Ratko Mladić". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Cluskey, Peter. "Mladic convicted of genocide and war crimes by UN tribunal". The Irish Times.