UN court rejects Ratko Mladic’s request for temporary release

In her decision issued on 11 November, 2025, Judge Gatti Santana noted that Mladic, who is serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, sought provisional release for seven days to attend a memorial service for a close fmily member who recently died. The motion was filed on 5 November by his defence team, Dragan Ivetic and Branko Lukic.

Mladic argued that attending a memorial service constitutes “compelling humanitarian grounds” and that he posed no flight risk due to his poor health and willingness to remain under 24-hour police supervision. His lawyers also claimed that such temporary release had been granted to other convicted individuals in the past.

However, the President ruled that the threshold for temporary release after a final conviction is “exceptionally high” and noted that such permission has never been granted to individuals held at the UN Detention Unit following final judgment. She further recalled that Mladic evaded arrest for nearly 16 years before being detained in 2011 and has repeatedly been denied provisional release during both his trial and appeal due to flight risk concerns.

Judge Gatti Santana concluded that Mladic had failed to demonstrate sufficient grounds to justify his request and formally denied the motion.

Mladic, 83, remains at the UN Detention Unit in The Hague, awaiting transfer to a state where he will serve the remainder of his life sentence. His 2021 conviction was upheld by the IRMCT Appeals Chamber for genocide in Srebrenica, persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, and other war crimes committed during the 1992–1995 Bosnian war.