‘There is nothing disturbing about the death of Ratko Mladić, a convicted war criminal. What is deeply disturbing, however, is the reaction his death has provoked—particularly among parts of Serbia’s political, intellectual and wider social elites, including segments of the student movement.’ The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia states this in a statement following Mladić’s death, 27 August.
‘The Norwegian Helsinki Committee shares the concerns of our Serbian sister organisation. We are concerned that a war criminal who is even convicted of genocide is being referred to as a ‘war hero’, especially among young people. This highlights the importance of accountability and public awareness of what took place’, said Berit Lindeman, Secretary General of the NHC.
Who was Ratko Mladić?
Ratko Mladić was a military leader during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. He led the Bosnian Serb Army and is referred to as the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’. He was arrested in 2011 on suspicion of being responsible for horrific war crimes during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on several charges, among them genocide and crimes against humanity. He died in prison in The Hague on 27 August 2026
Read the statement by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia