The death of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic has made headlines worldwide. International media announced that 'The Butcher of Bosnia dies in The Hague', seemingly suggesting that justice has been served. However, according to the author, nothing has changed, and the world will not become a better place.
On November 22, 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Mladic to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in Bosnia. His death does not erase the fact that he and his ideas have won. The author argues that Mladic died happy, witnessing a world overtaken by fascism and normalized genocide.
In 2017, after the verdict, the author expressed fears in an Al Jazeera op-ed that Mladic's ideas would spread like a drug-resistant bug. Today, those fears have materialized, especially in the Balkans. In Serbia, an EU candidate country, the ruling regime's survival depends on maintaining an ideology of death and denial. President Aleksandar Vucic's power is cemented by denying responsibility for 1990s crimes in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Bosnia remains divided by the Dayton Accords, struggling to build a future. In Republika Srpska, genocide denial is official policy, and many war criminals live freely. Yet, there is resistance. The NGO 'Ostra Nula', founded by young Serbs in Banja Luka, declared they will not mourn Mladic, emphasizing that death does not delete verdicts or responsibility. Other groups like 'Buka' magazine and 'Kvart' also condemned the celebration of a genocidaire.
The author notes that while Bosnia is aware of its wartime legacy, the rest of the world still believes fascism was defeated 80 years ago. Evidence of Mladic's dream world includes public denial of Palestinian genocide, indifference to crimes in Sudan and the DRC, harsh treatment of migrants, suffering due to sanctions, rising military spending, and ultra-right politicians in power.
The author, a genocide survivor, asks whether the world truly wants to live in Mladic's dream. He calls on the world to wake up, but questions if anyone will listen.
Source: www.aljazeera.com