The Bosnian Serb general, Ratko Mladić, will remain behind bars after the international tribunal in The Hague rejected his bid for early release. For the families of the 8,000 men and boys slaughtered at Srebrenica, the decision is a rare moment of justice in a world where the wounds of the 1990s wars are still raw. The United Kingdom, a key backer of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, welcomed the ruling as a reaffirmation of accountability.
Mladić, now 83, is serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. His lawyers argued that his poor health and time served warranted release. But the tribunal was unmoved, noting the sheer scale of his crimes. For survivors in Bosnia, the news brings mixed feelings. One survivor told me: “He can rot. But our dead are still dead.” The denial is a victory for those who insist that justice cannot be traded for convenience.
The UK’s support for the tribunal is consistent with its foreign policy. But at home, the government faces questions about its own record on international law. Critics point to arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the treatment of asylum seekers. Yet on Mladić, there is no wavering. British officials called the decision “a vital step in upholding the rules-based order.” For the families in Srebrenica, those words ring hollow unless backed by action on the ground.
This case also exposes the regional divide. In Serbia, Mladić is still a hero to nationalists. In Bosnia, he is a monster. The tribunal’s decision is a rare moment of clarity. It says that mass murder is not excused by age or infirmity. For the victims’ families, it is a small but significant comfort. But the broader fight against impunity continues. The court’s work is far from over, and the UK must ensure its support translates into tangible progress for survivors.
The cost of the tribunal is often cited by critics. But what is the cost of forgetting? The price of bread in Sarajevo is still high, and the scars of war remain. The denial of Mladić’s release is not justice served. It is justice maintained. And in a world of quick fixes, that is something worth defending.
This ruling will not bring back the dead. It will not heal the trauma. But it sends a message to every general who thinks he can kill with impunity. The institutions of international justice, however imperfect, still hold. The UK, for all its flaws, stands by them. For the families in Srebrenica, that is a small hope. For the rest of us, it is a reminder that the fight for accountability never ends.
