The Butcher of Bosnia
Ratko Mladic, also known as "The Butcher of Bosnia", was born on March 12th, 1943 in Kalinovik, Croatia. Mladic was a recognized Colonel-General for the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS); he served his country for 31 years and received numerous awards during that time such as the "Order of Brotherhood and Unity" medal and "Order of the People's Army" medal.
Sarajevo Massacre
After about 30 years of glory with the VRS, Mladic would gain his infamy in Sarajevo - July 1995. Mladic led a platoon and intended to force the UN to remove any heavy weapons and artillery out of the Sarajevo region, as well as overrun the UN occupied "safe areas" of Srebrenica and Zepa. Srebrenica harbored tens of thousands of Bosniaks who sought safety from the Bosnian War. Mladic and his troops moved into these towns exiling over 40,000 of the Bosniaks and murdering an estimated 8,300. However, it was never confirmed that Mladic gave the orders to do so.
After the massacre in Srebrenica, Mladic was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for acts of genocide against the people of Bosnia, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Butcher of Bosnia would not go quietly...so he ran, becoming a fugitive of the ICTY; the ICTY then placed an international warrant for Mladic's arrest. For the next 5 years, Mladic sought refuge in Serbia under the protection of Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian President of the time. However, in 2001 Milosevic would be arrested which forced Mladic to go into hiding. While in "hiding" there were multiple reports of Mladic sightings in and around Serbia. Mladic would attend football matches, regularly visit the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Athens, and one report even stated that British defense officials had seen the general skiing down the Sarajevo's former Olympic skiing resort with a cluster of bodyguards following. NATO even attempted to send commandos to arrest various war crime suspects including Mladic, but he countered this by seeking refuge underground; not even a $5 million dollar bounty posted by Washington could bring Mladic to justice.
Arrest, Trial, and Conviction
Mladic would finally be arrested in 2011, 15 years after becoming an international fugitive and war criminal. His arrested was carried out early in the morning of May 26 by about 2 dozen members of the Serbian Special Police. They carried out his arrest in black uniforms, masks, and did not wear any insignia, and were accompanied by SIA officers (security information agency) as well as War Crimes Prosecuter's Office agents.
Following the arrest, Mladic would appear before the Belgrade Higher Court. Judge Milan Dilparic suspended Mladic's interrogation due to his poor health, as Mladic's lawyer stated that his poor health restricted his communication. The court ultimately ruled Mladic to be extradited the next day, May 27.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Mladic on 10 charges: one count of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, and four counts of violations against the laws or customs of war.
Sarajevo Massacre
After about 30 years of glory with the VRS, Mladic would gain his infamy in Sarajevo - July 1995. Mladic led a platoon and intended to force the UN to remove any heavy weapons and artillery out of the Sarajevo region, as well as overrun the UN occupied "safe areas" of Srebrenica and Zepa. Srebrenica harbored tens of thousands of Bosniaks who sought safety from the Bosnian War. Mladic and his troops moved into these towns exiling over 40,000 of the Bosniaks and murdering an estimated 8,300. However, it was never confirmed that Mladic gave the orders to do so.
After the massacre in Srebrenica, Mladic was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for acts of genocide against the people of Bosnia, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Butcher of Bosnia would not go quietly...so he ran, becoming a fugitive of the ICTY; the ICTY then placed an international warrant for Mladic's arrest. For the next 5 years, Mladic sought refuge in Serbia under the protection of Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian President of the time. However, in 2001 Milosevic would be arrested which forced Mladic to go into hiding. While in "hiding" there were multiple reports of Mladic sightings in and around Serbia. Mladic would attend football matches, regularly visit the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Athens, and one report even stated that British defense officials had seen the general skiing down the Sarajevo's former Olympic skiing resort with a cluster of bodyguards following. NATO even attempted to send commandos to arrest various war crime suspects including Mladic, but he countered this by seeking refuge underground; not even a $5 million dollar bounty posted by Washington could bring Mladic to justice.
Arrest, Trial, and Conviction
Mladic would finally be arrested in 2011, 15 years after becoming an international fugitive and war criminal. His arrested was carried out early in the morning of May 26 by about 2 dozen members of the Serbian Special Police. They carried out his arrest in black uniforms, masks, and did not wear any insignia, and were accompanied by SIA officers (security information agency) as well as War Crimes Prosecuter's Office agents.
Following the arrest, Mladic would appear before the Belgrade Higher Court. Judge Milan Dilparic suspended Mladic's interrogation due to his poor health, as Mladic's lawyer stated that his poor health restricted his communication. The court ultimately ruled Mladic to be extradited the next day, May 27.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Mladic on 10 charges: one count of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, and four counts of violations against the laws or customs of war.
I think that this article shows the importance of holding people accounatble for their actions. As we saw in "Hotel Rwanda", when paul told someone from the army that the United States was watching, he was discouraged from committing atrocities. People are more likely to give into genocide when they can't be held accountable. Mladic will serve as an example for anyone in the future who finds themselves in a similar position.
ReplyDelete