‘Butcher of Bosnia’ responsible for massacre of 8,000 Muslims begs for prison release
Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia,' is seeking early release from prison due to severe health issues following a stroke. Convicted of genocide and war crimes for atrocities committed during the Bosnian War, Mladic is serving a life sentence in The Hague. His lawyers argue he is in irreversible medical decline, but victim groups denounce the request as a legal tactic rather than a humanitarian appeal.
- ▪Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
- ▪He was arrested in 2011 after 16 years on the run and sentenced to life in prison by a UN tribunal in 2017.
- ▪Mladic's lawyers claim he is bedbound, unable to speak or swallow, and at imminent risk of death.
- ▪Bosnian victim groups oppose his release, calling the medical claims a recurring legal strategy.
- ▪Judge Graciela Gatti Santana has requested medical experts to assess Mladic's condition and treatment options.
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World News War criminal ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ begs for prison release amid serious illness By Sonya Gugliara Published May 2, 2026, 5:25 p.m. ET Attorneys for the “Butcher of Bosnia” have pleaded for his release from prison after about 15 years behind bars, saying the notorious war criminal is already on his death bed after a stroke. Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, which claimed about 100,000 lives. Mladic, 84, was found responsible for the massacre of 8,000 Muslim boys and men in 1995 — the largest genocide in Europe since World War II. 3 Ratko Mladic is serving a life sentence for his war crimes.
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