“I welcome the decision by the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to affirm the conviction of Ratko Mladic. It is right that he is being held accountable for his outrageous crimes against civilians, including the murder of thousands of Bosnian men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995,” Stoltenberg said.

“NATO helped to end two ethnic wars in the Western Balkans in the 1990s and close a dark and shameful chapter in European history. The region remains strategically important to our Alliance. We will continue to contribute to stability and security across the Western Balkans, promoting peace and reconciliation,” he added.

Who is Ratko Mladic?

Ratko Mladić is a Bosnian Serb convicted war criminal and colonel-general who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars.

In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Mladić on 10 charges: one of genocide, five of crimes against humanity, and four violations of the laws or customs of war.

As a top military officer with command responsibility, Mladić was deemed responsible for both the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre by the ICTY. The ICTY sentenced Mladić to life imprisonment.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Appeals Chamber rejected the appeals filed by Mladić and the Prosecution.