Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died in prison Thursday.
Mladic led the Bosnian Serb army in the early 1990s. Under his command, they pounded the besieged capital of Sarajevo as part of a broader conflict that left nearly 100,000 people dead and at least a million homeless.
He also oversaw the forces who carried out the 1995 massacre of at least 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica. It was Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.
Mladic was already in poor health when he was arrested in 2011 after a yearslong manhunt. During his trial, he remained defiant, even yelling at the judges when he was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
U.N. officials said Thursday the 84-year-old Mladic died in a prison hospital in The Hague.
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Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died in prison Thursday.
Mladic led the Bosnian Serb army in the early 1990s. Under his command, they pounded the besieged capital of Sarajevo as part of a broader conflict that left nearly 100,000 people dead and at least a million homeless.
He also oversaw the forces who carried out the 1995 massacre of at least 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica. It was Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.
Mladic was already in poor health when he was arrested in 2011 after a yearslong manhunt. During his trial, he remained defiant, even yelling at the judges when he was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
U.N. officials said Thursday the 84-year-old Mladic died in a prison hospital in The Hague.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: to.pbs.org/41q6E8i
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
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