Srebrenica survivors reflect on Mladic's death in prison
Survivors of the Srebrenica massacre react to Ratko Mladic's death, saying his life sentence fulfilled their need for justice.
In Srebrenica, Bosnia, families of those killed in the 1995 massacre have responded to the death of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander convicted of genocide. Mladic died on Thursday while serving a life sentence, according to UN officials. He was 84.
Fazila Efendic, who lost several relatives in the massacre, said that while his death from natural causes was inevitable, the fact that he died behind bars mattered most. "For us, it's important that he was convicted and that he served his sentence until he was dead," she said.
Camil Durakovic, a former mayor of Srebrenica, expressed more complex feelings. He said he felt bitterness rather than happiness, noting that Mladic lived to 85 despite being convicted of genocide. Durakovic also warned that Mladic's death could intensify glorification of the warlord among Bosnian Serb and Serbian political parties, calling this a lingering problem.
Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 war, overseeing the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica — the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. He was arrested in 2011 after years on the run and sentenced to life in prison in 2017 by the UN tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
Known for his defiance, Mladic shouted at judges when the sentence was delivered. He remained unrepentant, viewed by supporters as a patriot rather than a war criminal.