Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has again defended former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, who is serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes, questioning why international authorities have not allowed him to leave prison in The Hague for medical treatment in Serbia.
Vučić said he did not understand the international authorities’ position regarding Mladić’s deteriorating health, claiming that the former commander could be nearing the end of his life.
“Whether it is one week or five weeks, it is the same. They could have done what they did with Nebojša Pavković, when they waited until he had literally two weeks left before his death, and then allowed him to return to his country, at least to die where he had lived and for what he had fought,” Vučić said.
He argued that Mladić’s case should be viewed primarily as a humanitarian issue rather than through the lens of the judicial verdict against him.
“As far as General Mladić is concerned, this is only about a humane approach toward a human being. Why are they behaving this way and why are they doing this? I honestly do not understand,” Vučić said.
Mladić, one of the most prominent figures in the Bosnian Serb military leadership during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is serving a life sentence in The Hague after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
His family claimed in May 2025 that doctors believed he would not survive the year. Reports about his deteriorating health have continued to emerge, with his lawyers and family repeatedly saying that his condition has seriously worsened.
The Hague-based International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals has confirmed that Mladić is in the “final phase of his life.” However, the president of the Mechanism, Graciela Gatti Santana, rejected a request from his family and lawyers for temporary release and transfer to Serbia for medical treatment.
Mladić remains one of the most notorious figures of the Bosnian war. The UN judicial mechanism ultimately upheld his life sentence, while his name is directly associated with the Srebrenica genocide and other crimes committed against civilians during the conflict.
Vučić has repeatedly faced criticism over his positions on the legacy of the Hague tribunal and the Srebrenica genocide. During the 2024 UN General Assembly debate on a resolution establishing July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide, Vučić appeared carrying the Serbian flag and campaigned against the adoption of the resolution.
