Ratko Mladić

Biography

Ratko Mladić was born on March 12, 1942, in Božanovići, a village in the Independent State of Croatia during World War II. His father, Neđo Mladić, was a Partisan fighter who died in 1945 towards the war's end. This loss shaped Mladić's outlook and later commitment to military service. After completing his education, Mladić joined the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in 1965, starting a military career that would last several decades and eventually lead to international notoriety.

During his time in the JNA, Mladić rose through the ranks and was a long-time member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. He served in various roles within the military, earning honors such as the Order of the People's Army and the Order of Brotherhood and Unity. His military skills and leadership were noticed by his superiors, setting him up for important responsibilities during the chaotic period following Yugoslavia's breakup.

Mladić became widely known during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Initially a high-ranking officer in the JNA, he later became the Chief of Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995. In this position, he led military actions that would later be the subject of war crimes trials. His leadership during the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from 1992 to 1996, and his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre became key to his later criminal charges.

After the Bosnian War ended, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) issued indictments against Mladić for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. In July 1996, all counts of the original indictments were confirmed, and an international arrest warrant was issued. Despite a €5 million reward offered by the Serbian and United States governments, Mladić avoided capture for nearly sixteen years, initially protected by Serbian and Bosnian Serb security forces and later by family members.

Mladić was finally arrested in May 2011 in Lazarevo, Serbia, and sent to The Hague for trial. His capture was seen as necessary for Serbia's European Union membership bid. The trial began in 2012 and ended in 2017 with his conviction on ten charges, including genocide related to the Srebrenica massacre. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and remains in custody in The Hague, serving his sentence for crimes committed during the Bosnian War.