Ruling With an Iron Fist

On June 3, in front of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Ratko Mladic, leader of the Serbian armed forces during the Bosnian War, was indicted at The Hague on two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, and four counts of violations of the laws and customs of war.

Nearly 20 years have passed since the beginning of Bosnian War. We have heard the horror stories of mass rape, the shelling of Sarajevo, the failure to protect civilians in Srebrenica. After the Holocaust, the international community sought to develop standards to protect human dignity and hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable for their actions. Mladic is a war criminal and must therefore face all of his crimes, regardless of health. If he is able to stand trial, then he must be held accountable for the entirety of his actions, not bits and pieces.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons