Why Convicted War Criminal Ratko Mladic Died a Victor in a World Reclaiming Fascism

A mural of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic is seen vandalised with paint in Belgrade, Serbia on September 20, 2022. The death of war criminal Ratko Mladic made headlines across the world, with international media announcing that 'The Butcher of Bosnia dies in The Hague' as if justice had finally been served. However, nothing truly changed when he was sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to life in prison on November 22, 2017, for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in Bosnia. Nothing changes now with his death either, as the world has not become a better place; rather, Ratko Mladic and his ideology of fascism and normalised genocide have won.

Years ago, following Ratko Mladic’s verdict, a warning was raised that his ideas would spread like a drug-resistant bug across the Balkans and beyond. Today, that prediction is a grim reality. In Serbia, where the European Union contemplates membership, the ruling regime relies on an ideology of death and denial, cementing the power of President Aleksandar Vucic through the denial of 1990s crimes in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Meanwhile, Bosnia remains a fractured state under the Dayton Accords, struggling with a present and future shaped by over 100,000 deaths, unpunished perpetrators, and official genocide denial in Republika Srpska.

Despite the enduring grip of fascism, resistance persists. Groups like Ostra Nula, established by young Serbs in Banja Luka, along with the magazine Buka and the youth group Kvart, publicly rejected the glorification of the murderer who ordered mass killings, torture, and rape in Bosnia. These brave voices stand against the denial of war crimes, recognizing the dangerous legacy of unchecked fascism. Yet, while Bosnia confronts its past, the broader global community remains largely blind to the rising tide of authoritarianism, conflict, and human suffering worldwide—living out the very nightmare that Ratko Mladic envisioned.