Ratko Mladic Lawyers Seek UN Court Release Citing Imminent Death Risk for Bosnian War Criminal
Lawyers representing Ratko Mladic, the convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal, are awaiting a ruling from a UN court regarding their application for his release from detention in The Hague. The application is based on claims that Mladic, 84, is close to death.
Mladic received a life sentence in 2017 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2021.
A detailed submission to the court on Friday asserted that Mladic has been bedbound or in a wheelchair for an extended period. The lawyers further stated he experienced a suspected stroke during a conversation with his son, which has severely impaired his speech. Two doctors reportedly assessed his condition as serious, indicating a "high risk of imminent death." Consequently, the defence team has called for his immediate provisional or conditional release to a hospital or hospice where Serbian is spoken.
Implicitly, Mladic's defence seeks his return to Serbia. The Serbian Justice Minister, Nenad Vujic, has previously indicated his government's willingness to provide court guarantees if Mladic is released. Judge Graciela Gatti Santana has requested an independent health assessment, with findings due on Friday.
Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1990s, where his troops were responsible for "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the siege of Sarajevo resulting in over 10,000 deaths, and the massacre of 8,000 men and boys at Srebrenica.
After 16 years on the run, Mladic was apprehended in rural Serbia in 2011. He was tried at The Hague in 2012 and convicted in 2017. His lawyers argue that the UN detention facility and prison hospital are insufficient for his care, contending that continued detention constitutes "cruel, inhumane punishment" and serves no further purpose.
Bosnian victim and survivor groups vehemently oppose Mladic's release, viewing it as a "legal tactic" rather than a humanitarian appeal. They have cautioned the UN court about the defence team's repeated, similar attempts over several years. Previous attempts for release in July 2025 and temporary release in November 2025 were denied.
Darko Mladic, Ratko Mladic's son, informed Serbian media that his father's health had not changed and that he planned to visit him at the prison hospital next week. Judge Graciela Gatti Santana stated she had instructed medical experts to evaluate his current condition, treatment options, life expectancy, and the adequacy of his current care in detention.
