Following the death of Ratko Mladić, one of the darkest figures of the war in Bosnia, The Hague Mechanism has issued an official response to the questions raised in Serbia. The institution insists that medical treatment and detention care were above minimum international standards, but is remaining silent on the specific circumstances of his death until the investigation is completed.
The Hague: care for Mladić was above minimum standards
According to the official version from The Hague Mechanism, the care provided to Ratko Mladić during his stay in the United Nations detention unit exceeded the minimum required by international norms.
The institution cited treatment at the detention hospital, including medical care and assistance with daily activities. The response came after suspicions and political claims were raised in Serbia over the way the former Serb general had been treated.
An investigation into the death has been opened, but details remain closed
The Mechanism said it cannot currently provide details about the circumstances of the death because the official investigation is still under way.
The investigation was ordered by the president of the International Mechanism, Graciela Gatti Santana, and assigned to Judge Ian Bonomy. According to the institution, this is a standard procedure applied whenever a detainee dies in this unit.
Until the process is completed, information about the cause and circumstances of the death is considered confidential and will not be made public.
The response comes after political pressure from Serbia
The Hague’s response comes after several political representatives in Serbia raised questions about the cause of Mladić’s death.
Serbian news agency Tanjug also reported that it had received confirmation from The Hague press service that details regarding the death would remain restricted until the investigation is concluded.
At the same time, Serbian authorities have said they intend to organize a funeral for Mladić with full state and military honors after the body is returned to Serbia.
Who Ratko Mladić was
Ratko Mladić died at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war in Bosnia.
He was widely known as the “Butcher of Srebrenica” for his role in the 1995 massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed in one of the gravest crimes in Europe since World War II.
For now, The Hague institution has chosen to speak only about treatment standards and not about the cause of death. This leaves open a process in which the official version has been given only in part, while the essential part of the file remains under investigation.