Guterres: “Lifetime” for Mladic reflects the international commitment to justice

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considered the verdict issued on Tuesday against former Serbian leader Ratko Mladic, nicknamed the “Butcher of Bosnia”, “a reflection of the international community’s commitment to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity.”

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The International Criminal Court rejected Ratko Mladic’s appeal for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and upheld his life sentence.

The Secretary-General said in a statement read out by his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, to reporters at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Secretary-General has taken note of the judgment in the case against Mr. Ratko Mladic, former commander of the Bosnian Serb Armed Forces.

“The Secretary-General’s thoughts (feelings) are with the victims, survivors and their families who have suffered from the genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws of war for which Mladic was convicted,” he added.

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“The final verdict in the case against Mladic is a reflection of the international community’s commitment to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity,” he added.

Serbian forces led by Mladic entered the city of Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, after it had been declared a safe area by the United Nations.

During the days, the Serbian forces committed a massacre that claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Bosnians.

Their ages ranged between 7 and 70 years, after the Dutch forces operating there handed over tens of thousands of Bosnians to it.