The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said on Tuesday 8 June that the verdict in the Ratko Mladić case was “an opportunity for leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, in view of the facts, to lead the way in honouring victims and promote an environment conducive to reconciliation to overcome the legacies of the war and build lasting peace”.
The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals has confirmed the life sentence of the former Bosnian Serb military leader, nicknamed the “Butcher of the Balkans”, for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed between 1992 and 1995.
In a statement, the High Representative and the Commissioner called on all political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Western Balkans to demonstrate full cooperation with international tribunals, respect their decisions and acknowledge their independence and impartiality.
According to them, “genocide denial, revisionism and glorification of war criminals contradict the most fundamental European values”.
“International and domestic courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and of the Western Balkan countries “need to continue their mission to provide justice for all victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and their family members. There can be no impunity”, added Borrell and Várhelyi. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)