The Government of the Republic of Croatia welcomes the long-awaited verdict by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which upheld Ratko Mladić’s life sentence, and considers it appropriate.
The final judgement convicts Mladić for some of the most heinous crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including genocide, crimes against humanity as well as violations of the laws and customs of war, aimed at eradicating Bosniaks and Croats from certain parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, The Government of the Republic of Croatia is displeased that the verdict did not determine the participation of Serbia’s highest officials in the so-called joint criminal enterprise that resulted in the most serious violations of the international humanitarian law.
The Government of the Republic of Croatia also regrets that Mladić was not convicted of crimes committed during the aggression against Croatia, where he had launched his bloody campaign and carried it on in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We hope that this verdict will bring at least a partial peace and satisfaction to the victims of Mladić’s atrocities and their families.