Reports say Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb general who was convicted by a UN-backed war crimes court and long branded the "butcher of Bosnia," has died in a United Nations prison hospital in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Mladic, a central figure of the Bosnian conflict and one of the most notorious defendants to appear before the international tribunal, was convicted by the court in The Hague and had been serving his sentence in UN custody. News organisations reported his death from the detention unit's medical facility, though official confirmation from prosecuting or detention authorities was pending at the time of reporting.
His conviction by the UN-backed court followed prosecutions that sought to hold senior figures accountable for atrocities committed during the war in Bosnia. Mladic's trial and subsequent conviction were focal points in debates over justice, accountability and the legacy of the conflict in the region.
The reports of his death are likely to reverberate across Bosnia and Herzegovina and among survivors and victims' families who sought redress through international courts. International and local officials, as well as legal authorities responsible for detainees at the UN facility, are expected to issue formal statements and to confirm the circumstances of his death.