Lawyers for Ratko Mladić are awaiting a ruling from a United Nations court on a request to release him on medical grounds. The 84-year-old former Bosnian Serb commander is currently serving a life sentence in The Hague.
Mladić was convicted in 2017 of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, a verdict upheld on appeal in 2021. Once dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia,” he remains one of the most prominent figures linked to atrocities during the Balkan wars.
His legal team argues that his health has significantly deteriorated. According to their submission, he has been largely bedridden or reliant on a wheelchair and is believed to have suffered a stroke that has severely affected his ability to speak. Medical assessments cited by the defence describe his condition as critical, with a high risk of imminent death.
They are requesting provisional or conditional release so he can receive treatment in a hospital or hospice, ideally in a Serbian-speaking environment. Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujić has indicated that Serbia is willing to provide guarantees if the court approves the request.
In response, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana has ordered an independent medical evaluation to assess Mladić’s current condition, life expectancy and whether the care he is receiving in detention is adequate.
During the 1992–1995 Bosnian war, Mladić commanded forces responsible for ethnic cleansing campaigns, the siege of Sarajevo—where more than 10,000 people were killed—and the Srebrenica massacre, in which around 8,000 men and boys lost their lives.
He was arrested in 2011 after 16 years in hiding and has since been held in a UN detention facility. His lawyers argue that continued imprisonment under his current health condition amounts to inhumane treatment and no longer serves a judicial purpose.
However, victims’ groups and survivors strongly oppose any release, viewing the request as a recurring legal strategy. Similar appeals have been rejected in the past, including in 2025.
The court’s decision, expected soon, will have to balance humanitarian considerations with the demands of justice for one of the most serious crimes committed in Europe since World War II.
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