Kathmandu— Ratko Mladić, the convicted Bosnian Serb general responsible for atrocities during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, has died at age 84 in a UN prison hospital in The Hague. Mladić was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, notably for orchestrating the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak boys and men. His death was confirmed by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which has launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding it. The conflict claimed more than 100,000 lives and displaced over two million people as Mladić sought to establish a Serb mini-state within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Legacy of Atrocity

Mladić rose to prominence as the commander of Bosnian Serb troops at the start of the Bosnian War in 1992, seizing control of large areas of the country. His forces subjected cities like Sarajevo to prolonged sieges and established detention camps where systematic killings of Bosniaks and other non-Serbs occurred. The tribunal determined these actions were part of a deliberate plan for “ethnic cleansing” – forcibly removing Bosniaks, Croats, and others to create a Greater Serbia.

The Srebrenica Massacre

Mladić’s conviction centered on the genocide at Srebrenica in July 1995. His troops systematically murdered over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in the UN-designated “safe area,” bulldozing their bodies into mass graves and later exhuming and relocating remains to conceal evidence of the killings. The tribunal found that Mladić, along with Slobodan Milošević and Radovan Karadžić, participated in a criminal conspiracy to carry out this plan.

Defiance and Reactions

Throughout his trial and sentencing, Mladić remained defiant, refusing to recognize the court’s authority. Upon receiving his life sentence in 2017, he proclaimed the proceedings were based on lies. While some Serbs continue to revere him as a defender of their people, many victims and advocates for justice condemned any glorification of his actions. Remir Suljagic, head of the Srebrenica memorial, stated that Mladić’s death “doesn’t bring back the dead” or alter the judgments against him.

Victims' Relief

Kada Hotic, who lost her husband and son to Serb forces in 1995, expressed gratitude that Mladic died in prison. “I am grateful to the Tribunal because it sentenced Mladic to life and has not released him,” she told Reuters. “He died in disgrace, because he killed so many people.” Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik, however, described Mladić’s death as a ‘murder,’ claiming he was respected by Serbian people.

An inquiry into the circumstances of Mladic's death is underway, but his conviction for some of the most heinous crimes in modern European history remains unchanged.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.