War criminal Ratko Mladić's jail release request denied

A UN judge admits the 84-year-old is "in the final stages of his life", but says prison conditions in The Hague ensure his maximum comfort.

A UN court has denied a bid by convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić to be released from jail on the grounds he is near the end of his life. While agreeing that he was 'in the final stages of his life', Judge Graciela Gatti Santana said conditions at the UN prison and its hospital in The Hague 'are of such high quality that Mladić comfort can be maximally ensured'.

The U.N. war crimes court has denied an early release request for Ratko Mladic, the 84-year-old Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide. Citing advanced medical decline, Mladic's plea highlighted his poor health. The court ruled that his care in the Netherlands is adequate and denied the request.

The UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals has denied Ratko Mladic’s April 30, 2026 motion for early or provisional release on humanitarian grounds, despite acknowledging his advanced, irreversible medical decline. The court affirmed that his care at The Hague’s detention unit is adequate and denied the request.

UN-ov sud za ratne zločine rekao je u četvrtak da je odbio zahtjev za prijevremeno puštanje na slobodu Ratka Mladića, 84-ogodišnjeg generala bosanskih Srba osuđenog za genocid i zločine protiv čovječnosti, koji je kao razlog naveo pogoršano zdravstveno stanje. Mladić služi doživotnu kaznu zbog uloge u ratu u BiH i trenutno se nalazi u zatvorskoj jedinici u Den Haagu.

A UN court has denied a bid by convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić to be released from jail on the grounds he is near the end of his life. While agreeing that he was 'in the final stages of his life', Judge Graciela Gatti Santana said conditions at the UN prison and its hospital in The Hague 'are of such high quality that Mladić comfort can be maximally ensured'.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (formerly The Hague Tribunal) has once again rejected Ratko Mladic's request for temporary release from prison on health grounds, where he is serving a sentence for war crimes. Mladic, former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska - the Bosnian Serb entity - was sentenced in 2021 to life imprisonment for genocide and war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.