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Ratko Mladic Commander in Chief of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS; Bosnian Serb Army)

Ratko Mladic Commander in Chief of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS; Bosnian Serb Army). Background Information. Ratko Mladic was born on March 12, 1945 in the village of Bozinovici, near the town of Kalinovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Ratko Mladic Commander in Chief of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS; Bosnian Serb Army)

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  1. Ratko MladicCommander in Chief of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS; Bosnian Serb Army)

  2. Background Information • Ratko Mladic was born on March 12, 1945 in the village of Bozinovici, near the town of Kalinovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. • His father, a Yugoslav Partisan fighting with Josip Broz Tito’s forces, was killed during an assault on the Bosnian village of Bradina when he was three years old. • His mother raised him and his two siblings

  3. Military Career • Mladic is a career Yugoslav army officer and a graduate of Belgrade military academies. • In 1991, he was appointed commander of the 9th Corps of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) • In May of 1992 General Mladic joined the newly created Army of Republika Srpska, which was established by the Assembly of Bonsian Serbs. • He became the VRS’s Commander in Chief and held this position at least until December 22, 1996.

  4. Sarajevo • Mladic is responsible for the “siege” of Sarajevo. Under his command the VRS unleashed a campaign of bombardments and sniper shootings against the civilian areas of the town, terrorizing, wounding and killing civilians and destroying buildings. • “I have blocked Sarajevo from all four sides. There is no exit. It is in a mousetrap.”

  5. Srebrenica • Under Mladic’s command the VRS attacked the enclave of Srebrenica, which had been declared a “security zone” by resolution 819 of the UN Security Council, from July 2-11, 1995. • As many as 60,000 Bosniaks (Bosnian-Muslims) were taking refuge in Srebrenica. • There were 600 Dutch UN Peacekeepers in Srebrenica who were supposed to “protect” the area. • Nearly 7,500 Bosniak men were separated from their families and executed between the 12 and 17 of July. • Some 200 UN Peacekeeping troops were taken hostage.

  6. ICTY Indictments • 1st Indictment filed against Mladic and Karadzic (President of Republika Srpska) on July 24, 1995. It was confirmed by Judge Jorda the next day. • The Indictment accused both men of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war (war crimes). Mladic was responsible for serious breaches of International humanitarian law committed by the VRS between May 1992 and July 1995. • 2nd Indictment was filed on November 15, 1996 (Amended June 1, 2011) by the prosecutor of the ICTY. It alleged that both men were responsible for the grave breaches of humanitarian law committed by the VRS during the attack on Srebrenica. The charges now included genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Convention and war crimes. • The two Indictments were amended three times and in 2009 Mladic and Karadzic’s cases were severed from one another.

  7. Joint Criminal Enterprises • Mladic, along with Karadzic, were accused of participating in four Joint Criminal Enterprises (JCE) • The JCE to remove Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb claimed territory. • The Sniping and shelling of Sarajevo • The elimination of Bosniaks in Srebrenica • The taking of hostages (UN personnel)

  8. Arrested May 26, 2011

  9. Charges • 11 total counts • 2 counts of genocide • 4 counts of war crimes • Murder • Acts of violence to spread terror among the civilian population • Unlawful attacks on civilians • Taking of hostages • 5 counts of Crimes against humanity • Persecutions on political, racial, and religious grounds • Extermination • Murder • Deportation • Inhumane acts (forcible transfer)

  10. Trial • Initial appearance and further appearance held June 3 and 4, 2011. (Mladic was unruly and refused to enter a plea, he was then removed from the courtroom and the presiding judge pleaded “not guilty” on his behalf. • Trial began on May 16, 2012, but had to be postponed on the 17th because numerous documents were not forfeited to the defense. • Trial resumed July 9, 2012, but was again interrupted. This time because Mladic complained he wasn’t feeling well. He was taken to the hospital and deemed “fit for trial”. • Trial resumed on July 16, 2012.

  11. Side Notes • Mladic’s daughter, Ana, 24 committed suicide in 1994 during the height of the Bosnian War. • Supposedly this fueled him into even more of a psychotic rage than before.

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