Lawyers for Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, have asked a UN court to urgently release him from prison in The Hague. They argue that the 84-year-old is in very poor health and may be nearing the end of his life.
Mladić, often referred to as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for his role in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The verdict was upheld on appeal in 2021. He has been held in a UN detention facility since 2011, after being arrested in Serbia following 16 years on the run.
According to his defence team, Mladić has long been confined to bed or a wheelchair. His lawyers claim that during a phone call with his son he suffered a suspected stroke, after which he was left almost unable to speak. Two doctors reportedly assessed his condition as serious and said the risk of imminent death was high.
The defence is seeking his immediate provisional or conditional release and transfer to a hospital or hospice where Serbian is spoken. Although the request does not state this directly, its likely aim is to allow him to return to Serbia. Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic has already said that Belgrade is prepared to provide guarantees to the court if it agrees to release him.
Judge Graciela Gatti Santana has ordered an independent medical assessment of Mladić’s condition. Experts are expected to determine how serious his situation is, what treatment options remain, whether his life expectancy can be assessed, and whether the care he receives in UN detention is adequate.
The request has been strongly opposed by organisations representing victims and survivors of the Bosnian war. They see the appeal as another legal tactic presented as a humanitarian argument. They also point out that similar applications have been made in the past. In July 2025, Mladić’s lawyers unsuccessfully sought his release, and in November of the same year they requested temporary leave for him to attend a family memorial service.
Mladić was one of the key figures of the Bosnian war. The forces under his command fought against Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats and were responsible for some of the conflict’s worst atrocities, including the siege of Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 people were killed, and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where around 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were murdered. The massacre has been recognised as genocide.
Mladić’s son, Darko, told Serbian media that there had been no change in his father’s health and that he planned to visit him in the prison hospital next week. The final decision on any possible release rests with the UN court. The case carries a strong political and symbolic weight: while some in Serbia continue to portray Mladić as a defender of the nation, for the families of victims he remains one of the main perpetrators of the gravest crimes committed in Europe since the Second World War.
