'Butcher of the Balkans' Mladic Sentenced to Life Imprisonment... Biden Calls It a "Historic Verdict"

11 War Crime Charges Including the Srebrenica Massacre Where 8,000 People Died

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The life sentence handed down to Ratko Mladi?, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb forces who was called the "Butcher of the Balkans" for committing genocide during the Bosnian War in the former Yugoslavia, has been finalized.

On the 8th (local time), the Appeals Chamber of the United Nations-backed International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) dismissed Mladi?'s appeal against the life sentence imposed on him and upheld the lower court's life sentence ruling.

After reading the decision, the court stated that Mladi? cannot file any further appeals on this matter.

Major foreign media reported that Mladi? was standing looking down at the floor when the court read the decision that day.

The Guardian noted that this contrasted with Mladi?'s behavior during the 2017 lower court ruling when he protested, saying "This is all lies," and made insulting remarks toward the victims' families.

Previously, Mladi? had appealed the life sentence handed down in 2017 by the United Nations-backed International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on charges including genocide and war crimes.

At that time in 2017, Mladi? faced 11 charges including genocide, human rights violations, and war crimes related to the atrocities committed by the Serbian army from 1992 to 1995, including the "Srebrenica massacre" in 1995, where over 8,000 Muslims in the northeastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica were killed.

The Srebrenica massacre is recorded as the first genocide crime in Europe since the Nazi regime's Holocaust of Jews during World War II and is considered the worst mass killing.

Mladi? mercilessly executed over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim residents during the massacre, including children.

Mladi? was first indicted by the ICTY in 1995 for this massacre but evaded capture for 16 years.

However, he was arrested by Serbian authorities in 2011 and subsequently transferred to the ICTY in The Hague, where he was tried for over five years and appealed the ICTY's verdict.

The international community welcomed this ruling.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement saying, "This historic ruling shows that those who commit horrific crimes will be held accountable," and added, "It will serve as a deterrent to prevent further war crimes."

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said, "We can finally hold the worst international crimes accountable."

Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated in a release that the final ruling "concludes a key trial in Europe's recent history related to war crimes including genocide," and that it will contribute to healing for the victims, their families, survivors, and all those who suffered.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.