‘Bosnia Butcher’ gets life
Mladic guilty of genocide and war crimes in Balkans two decades ago
UNITED Nations judges sentenced former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment yesterday after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes in the brutal Balkans conflicts more than two decades ago.
But the man dubbed “The Butcher of Bosnia” was not present in court to hear the final verdict, having been dragged out of the courtroom after loudly accusing the judges of lying. His son said he planned to appeal. Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found Mladic guilty on 10 counts including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992 to 1995 war.
He was found not guilty of one charge of genocide in some villages.
About 100 000 people were killed and 2.2 million displaced in the ethnic rivalries which tore apart Yugoslavia, with judges saying ruthless Bosnian Serb forces under Mladic’s command had carried out mass executions and shown little or no respect for human life or dignity.
Presiding judge Alphons Orie said the crimes were among the most heinous known to humankind.
After rumours that he would not attend the hearing, Mladic, 74, who once left a trail of fear across Bosnia, gave a thumbs-up as he entered the courtroom in The Hague.
But in dramatic scenes, he was later ordered to be dragged from the court after accusing the judges of lying when they refused to adjourn the hearing because of his high blood pressure.
The verdict has been long awaited by tens of thousands of victims across the bitterly divided region, and dozens gathered early outside the courtroom, many clutching photos of loved ones who died or are among the 7 000 still missing.
It was an emotional day for victims, some of whom broke down in tears in the public gallery.
Mothers of Srebrenica association president Munira Subasic said she was partially satisfied with the verdict.
“It’s more than for [Radovan] Karadzic. But they didn’t find him guilty of genocide in some villages,” she said.
Edin Halilovic, 18, whose grandfather died in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, said it had been important to attend the hearing.
“My generation, and future generations, must never forget what happened to our families,” she said.
In Srebrenica, there were tears of joy.
“Mladic will die in The Hague! I’m so happy that justice has been done!” Nedziba Salihovic, who lost her husband, father and son in the 1995 massacre, said.
Chief tribunal prosecutor Serge Brammertz also hailed the verdict as a milestone for the court and for international justice.
“Mladic’s guilt is his and his alone,” he said. “Others think Mladic is a hero, this judgment demonstrates that nothing could be further from the truth.
“Mladic will be remembered by history for the many communities and lives he destroyed,” he said.
Caught after 16 years on the run, Mladic was found guilty of the 1995 massacre in northeastern Srebrenica, where troops under his command slaughtered almost 8 000 Muslim men and boys.
The killings, in which the victims were marched away, shot in the back and dumped in mass graves, were one of the darkest episodes in the conflict, and have been called the worst atrocity on European soil since World War 2. Mladic was also found guilty of personally directing a 44-month campaign of sniping and shelling in which 10 000 people died in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo.
He was also found guilty of taking hostage more than 200 Nato military personnel to use as human shields to prevent Nato air strikes against the Bosnian Serb army.
The trial lasted five years and almost 600 witnesses testified.
Defence lawyers slammed the trial as political.
Mladic’s son, Darko, said: “Today justice has been replaced by war propaganda.” International reaction was swift. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic urged fellow Serbs to look to the future rather “than suffocating in tears of the past”.
The European Union urged Balkan countries to honour the victims of war crimes by working towards reconciliation, and the UN called the verdict a momentous victory for justice.