Time of Crisis for Ratko Mladic – Victims of Srebrenica Massacre Seek Justice

Former Bosnian Serb general’s verdict on appeal Ratko Mladic It is expected to be announced today, thus closing the curtain on the latest Bosnian genocide trial before the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Mladic, 78, who led Bosnian Serb forces in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, was convicted in 2017 of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, including terrorizing the civilian population of Sarajevo. , during its 43-month siege, and the killing of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica of Bosnia, in 1995.

Ratko Mladic: Judges to start reading verdict at 16:00 Greek time

Srebrenica remains the only case of genocide on European soil since World War II, which has been recognized as such by two international courts.

The verdict comes after 25 years of trials at the United Nations ad hoc tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, during which 90 people were convicted.

He is widely regarded as one of the forerunners of the International Criminal Court, the first permanent war crimes tribunal based in The Hague.

In the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, residents are saddened by the fact that Mladic is still considered a hero in the Serb-dominated region of the ethnically divided country.

“Twenty-five years later, I feel like the war is not over,” said Mela Softic, 37, a marketing expert who spent her childhood in besieged Sarajevo.

Mladic’s lawyers have appealed the verdict on the grounds that the former general could not be held responsible for possible crimes committed by his subordinates.

They have either demanded his acquittal or a new trial.

Prosecutors want the verdict upheld along with the life sentence imposed on him.

You may also like