Ratko Mladić, jailed for life in 2017, has died in custody in The Hague at 84.
Why it matters: Mladić was one of the most notorious figures from the Bosnian War and a central case in postwar international justice. His death closes the personal chapter of a case tied to the Srebrenica genocide and the siege of Sarajevo.
- Mladić died on 2026-08-27 in a UN detention facility in Scheveningen, The Hague, Reuters reported, citing a UN official.
- The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him in 2017 and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
- The convictions covered genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
- The case was tied to atrocities including the Srebrenica genocide and the siege of Sarajevo.
Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander, has died in custody in The Hague at age 84, according to Reuters and AP. Serbian state broadcaster RTS and other Serbian outlets were among the first to report the death, and Reuters later cited a United Nations official confirming it. Reuters AP
Mladić was convicted in 2017 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and sentenced to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The tribunal said he was responsible for atrocities committed during the Bosnian War, including the Srebrenica genocide and the siege of Sarajevo. ICTY United Nations
The death takes place in a UN detention facility in Scheveningen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. It marks the end of a high-profile chapter in the wars that followed Yugoslavia's breakup, while leaving the broader questions of accountability, remembrance and reconciliation in the Western Balkans unresolved. BBC
By the numbers
- 84 - Mladić's age at death.
- 2017 - The year the ICTY sentenced him to life imprisonment.
- 1992-1995 - The Bosnian War period tied to the crimes in his case.
Yes, but: Mladić's death ends his imprisonment, but it does not change the tribunal's convictions or the historical record of the crimes.