US EditionConvicted War Criminal Mladic Seeks Release Over Deteriorating Health
Lawyers say the 84-year-old is in advanced medical decline after a suspected stroke, and a judge has ordered an independent health assessment.
- Lawyers for convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic are awaiting a United Nations court decision on their bid to release him from The Hague on grounds he is near the end of his life.
- Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1990s in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where his troops committed "ethnic cleansing," besieged Sarajevo with more than 10,000 deaths, and massacred 8,000 men and boys at Srebrenica.
- Defense lawyers argue detention constitutes "cruel, inhumane punishment," claiming the "risk of imminent death is high" following a suspected stroke that left Mladic struggling to speak.
- Judge Graciela Gatti Santana requested an independent health assessment due Friday, while Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic stated his government is prepared to provide guarantees to the court.
- Bosnian groups representing victims oppose the release, dismissing the request as a "legal tactic" rather than humanitarian, noting previous attempts in 2025 were unsuccessful.
24 Articles
24 Articles
‘Butcher of Bosnia’ responsible for massacre of 8,000 Muslims begs for prison release
Attorneys for notorious war criminal dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" have pleaded for his release from prison after about 15 years behind bars, saying he's already on his death bed after having a stroke.
Ratko Mladic's lawyers are urgently calling for his release. Incarcerated in the war criminals' prison in The Hague, the former military chief of the Bosnian Serbs, sentenced in 2017 by international justice to life for crimes against humanity and war crimes during the Bosnian war, is dying. For the moment, the judges responsible for the latest cases of the Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia have not decided anything.
Han er blevet stemplet som »indbegrebet af ondskab«. De kaldte ham ,Slagteren fra Bosnia. Men selv skal han have congregt sig med Napoleon. Sikkert he det, at Ratko Mladić som genera...
He is responsible for the worst atrocities in the Bosnian war: now the Bosnian-Serbian General, convicted of genocide, is to die himself. The 84-year-old wants to be released from prison.
In a detailed statement submitted to the court, lawyers stated that Ratko Mladić had long been bedridden or wheelchair-bound. They believe the 84-year-old suffered a suspected stroke while talking to his son, which left him almost speechless. The lawyers cited the opinion of two doctors who concluded that the criminal was in serious condition and that "the risk of imminent death was high." They also called on the UN tribunal to immediately relea…
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