Srebrenica Mothers Speak Out After Death of Wartime Commander

Munira Subasic, a mother who lost two sons and her husband in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has spoken out following the death of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military commander whose forces were responsible for the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.

Speaking in Sarajevo on Thursday, Subasic did not mince words. "Today, one of the biggest war criminals has died," she said, calling him the "Butcher of the Balkans." She recalled that between 10 and 19 July 1995, Mladic's forces murdered 10,701 people in Srebrenica, including 570 women and 1,042 children under the age of 18.

Subasic expressed no sympathy for the convicted war criminal. "First of all, I am sorry that he died," she said. "He should have suffered more. He should have waited longer to die. He should have dreamt of our children's eyes." She added that he died "where he belonged."

Reflecting on the broader meaning of the tragedy, Subasic offered a message of reconciliation. "People should learn from the past so they can have a better future," she said, urging others to appreciate differences rather than allow them to divide. "People can be divided only by good and bad."

She also warned that the ideology behind the massacre has not disappeared. "The project that was started has unfortunately expanded today, instead of being shrunk," she said.

Thirty-one years after the genocide, Subasic said the pain remains raw. "Us mothers are still carrying this pain in our souls."