Bosnia genocide convict Ratko Mladic suffers stroke in prison

Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes, has suffered a minor stroke in prison and is in declining health, according to his son on Wednesday.

Mladić, a former Bosnian Serb military commander, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a United Nations tribunal in 2017 for crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war. He was found guilty in particular for his role in the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed—acts classified as genocide by international courts.

His son, Darko Mladić, told Serbia’s RTRS broadcaster that he was first informed about his father’s condition on Friday by a U.N.-authorized doctor.

“She briefly explained that they believe it was a silent (minor) stroke, that he had been taken to a civilian hospital, and returned to prison after scans and examinations,” he said.

Darko Mladić added that his father’s condition is worsening daily, describing the situation as “very serious.”

He noted that the family is still awaiting full medical documentation from The Hague so that Serbian doctors can assess the case. The family also hopes that Mladić, who is 83 according to U.N. court records, could be allowed to receive treatment in Serbia.

Mladić was arrested in Serbia in 2011 after spending 16 years on the run.

There has been no official comment from authorities in The Hague regarding his condition.

His lawyers have long described him as ill and frail, and his defense team first sought provisional release on medical grounds in 2017. In July 2025, the U.N. court rejected a request for early release, stating that his condition did not meet the threshold of an “acute terminal illness” required for release.

Source:DailySabah-Photo:AA