Today at The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the appeal of former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic will begin.
Otherwise known as the “Bosnian Butcher” and the “epitome of evil”, Mladic was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for genocide in the Srebenica massacre. Mladic was found guilty of 10 out of 11 charges including genocide, crimes against humanity including murder, torture, rape, and beatings, extermination, forcible deportation, terror and unlawful attacks against civilians, hostage-taking, and sniping against civilians in Sarajevo.
Under his watch and direction, more than 7000 Bosnian Muslim men were massacred in Srebrenica in 1995, and more than 10,000 were killed in Sarajevo. Countless others were raped, tortured, and forced to flee.
He declined to enter a plea but the court eventually entered a plea of “not guilty” on his behalf. Mladic was found guilty and began shouting obscenities at the judges. He was sentenced to life in prison and would be eligible for release when he reaches 99 years old. He then filed for an appeal against the verdict
The appeal hearing has been repeatedly adjourned as Mladic has reported health problems such as a hernia.
He is currently being held at the detention centre in the Dutch city of Scheveningen
The trial of Mladic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia began in 2012. This is the latest case before the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
