UN Court Rejects Bid to Release Bosnian Serb War Criminal Ratko Mladić on Health Grounds

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A United Nations court has rejected an application to release convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić from prison despite acknowledging that he is in the final stages of his life.

Mladić, 84, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2017 of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992–1995 Bosnian war. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2021 by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the UN court that oversees remaining cases from the former Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal.

In its ruling on Thursday, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana said that although Mladić’s health has significantly deteriorated and he is “in the final stages of his life,” the conditions in the detention facility in The Hague remain sufficient to ensure he receives appropriate care.

The judge noted that medical and custodial conditions at the UN detention centre and its hospital in the Netherlands are of “such high quality” that Mladić’s comfort can be maximised, adding that there is no treatment required that cannot be provided in the Netherlands. She also stated that he continues to receive “comprehensive and compassionate treatment” from medical staff.

The court further highlighted that Mladić benefits from an “exceptional visitation regime,” allowing regular contact with family members and the possibility for relatives to be present during his final moments.

Mladić’s legal team had argued for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds, citing his deteriorating condition, limited mobility, and a suspected stroke that reportedly left him severely impaired. His lawyers also said doctors assessed his condition as critical and warned that the risk of imminent death was high. They had requested that he be transferred to a hospital or hospice where Serbian language care could be provided, with suggestions that he could return to Serbia under guarantees from the government.

However, the court concluded that his current care environment remained adequate and did not meet the threshold required for early release.

Mladić, often referred to as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkan wars and was found responsible for some of the gravest atrocities of the conflict, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, widely recognised as the worst genocide in Europe since World War II.

The ruling leaves Mladić to continue serving his life sentence in The Hague as his health continues to decline, with no immediate indication that further appeals will alter the decision.