UN Mechanism orders full inquiry following death of Ratko Mladic in The Hague

Exercising her authority under the Statute of the Mechanism and the Rules of Detention, Mechanism President Judge Graciela Gatti Santana announced a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death. Officials confirmed that Judge Iain Bonomy has been assigned to conduct the comprehensive investigation.

Recalling the judicial history, the Mechanism stated that Mladic was arrested on May 26, 2011, and transferred to The Hague. On November 22, 2017, an International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Trial Chamber convicted him of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, sentencing him to life imprisonment. The Appeals Chamber subsequently affirmed the convictions and sentence on June 8, 2021. At the time of his death, the tribunal noted that Mladic was awaiting transfer to a State for enforcement of the remainder of his sentence.

Providing structural background, the institution noted that the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1966 on December 22, 2010, establishing the Mechanism to continue the jurisdiction, rights and obligations, and to carry out the essential functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Operating initially alongside the legacy tribunals, the Mechanism commenced operations on July 1, 2012, in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, and on July 1, 2013, in The Hague, continuing as a stand-alone institution following the closure of the Rwanda tribunal on December 31, 2015, and the Yugoslavia tribunal on December 31, 2017.