The monstrous crimes of Ratko Mladic, the 'Butcher of Bosnia'
Ratko MladiÄ, who has died at the age of 84, was the bull-necked "Butcher of Bosnia". As Commander of the Bosnian Serb army, he oversaw a brutal campaign of "ethnic cleansing" as Yugoslavia splinte…
Ratko MladiÄ, who has died at the age of 84, was the bull-necked "Butcher of Bosnia".
As Commander of the Bosnian Serb army, he oversaw a brutal campaign of "ethnic cleansing" as Yugoslavia splintered in the 1990s.
The phrase was a chilling euphemism for the massacre of tens of thousands of men, women and children - in pursuit of what he saw as a chance to fulfil the historic destiny of Greater Serbia.
It was a goal he pursued with single-minded determination and studied brutality - and it made him responsible for the bloodiest atrocities Europe has witnessed since Hitler's Third Reich.
His fanaticism made him a hero to his people. He told them their Muslim neighbours planned to "impale Serbs, burn them alive, crucify them and put out their eyes".
He led the long and bloody siege of Sarajevo; killing and maiming its citizens in a daily hail of shells and sniper-fire.
When his troops overran the UN-declared safe area of Srebrenica, he promised they were safe. Later, 8,000 men and boys were led to unmarked graves.
He and his political counterpart, Radovan KaradžiÄ, ripped Bosnia apart - committing acts of genocide and vicious crimes against humanity.
Read Full Story at BBC World News →
