AI Generated Image
Serbia's president slams UN court for not releasing war criminal Mladic before his death
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the U.N. war crimes court in The Hague for denying early release to former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who died at 84 while serving a life sentence for war crimes.
- Mladic’s family and Serbian officials had repeatedly requested his release on humanitarian grounds, but the U.N. tribunal cited adequate medical care and family visits as reasons to refuse.
- Mladic, convicted for atrocities including the Srebrenica genocide and the siege of Sarajevo, remains a divisive figure, with Bosnian Serbs viewing him as a hero while victims’ families see his death in prison as a form of justice.
- The U.N. court has launched an inquiry into Mladic’s death, though Dutch authorities will not conduct a criminal investigation or autopsy; Serbia awaits the family’s decision on his burial location.
- Reports of a possible state funeral for Mladic in Serbia have provoked regional outrage, but President Vucic has not confirmed such plans.
