Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb commander found guilty of genocide, dies at 84

Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb commander found guilty of genocide, dies at 84 - The Washington Post

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Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb commander found guilty of genocide, dies at 84

He was serving a life sentence for his role in the Bosnian War, when he led forces that pounded Sarajevo and carried out the Srebrenica massacre.

August 27, 2026 at 9:13 a.m. EDT

Today at 9:13 a.m. EDT

9 min

*Gen. Ratko Mladic, center, arrives at the Sarajevo airport in August 1993. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)*

By

Roy Gutman

As a reporter at Newsday, Gutman won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for his coverage of the war in Bosnia.

On the day he took command of the Bosnian Serb army with a mission to divide the Bosnian republic along rigid ethnic lines, Gen. Ratko Mladic warned the Bosnian Serb political leadership that they were embarking on a vast criminal enterprise.

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What readers are saying

The comments reflect a strong sentiment of justice and accountability for war crimes, with many expressing satisfaction over Mladic's death in prison. Several commenters draw parallels between Mladic and other leaders like Netanyahu, Trump, and Putin, suggesting they should face... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

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