Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide, dies in The Hague

Ratko Mladic, the "Butcher of Bosnia", dies while serving a life sentence

Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military chief, has died in The Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for genocide. He had suffered several strokes in recent months and his health had long been fragile. With him disappears one of the most sinister figures of the Bosnian War, but also any chance of seeing him acknowledge his crimes on camera.

A hero to some, a butcher to others

His death has brought to the surface the rift the Balkans have failed to heal for three decades. In the comments circulating since the announcement of his passing, utter contempt and open vindication coexist. Some dare to call him a "hero of Europe"; others recall that The Hague convicted him of genocide. The gap between the two readings is so wide that they seem to be talking about two different people.

Memory remains contested

The debate is not just about one man, but about how Europe tells its own history. The Yugoslav wars left tens of thousands dead and a generation still carrying the trauma of having shouldered a rifle at 18. Mladic's death does not close that wound; it reopens it.

While the international tribunal has said what it had to say, public opinion remains divided. And on this side of the Mediterranean, the discussion often drifts toward uncomfortable territory, where historical memory mixes with old prejudices. None of that is resolved by a death.

His legacy is a mirror Europe prefers not to look into. With Mladic dead, the uncomfortable question is a different one: how much of that tragedy lives on in today's politics? The answer, in all likelihood, will please no one.