Ratko Mladić, the former Serb commander known as the “butcher of Bosnia” has been convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judgment was rendered by the UN tribunal set up at the Hague to adjudicate war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. Mladić was chief of staff of the Serbian forces in Bosnia from 1992-96 during which horrific atrocities were committed against the Bosnian people in an effort to “ethnically cleanse” the region of non-Serbs. He was arrested in 2011 and his trial took over 4 years. He never showed any sign of remorse for the crimes for which he was responsible.
Memorial for Those Slaughtered at Srebenica
The US has finally acknowledged that the treatment of the Royingha in Myanmar constituted “ehtnic cleansing”. The statement by US Secretary of State Tillerson was long overdue and was accompanied by a vague promise that the US “may” impose sanctions on the government of Myanmar. The statement read, in part:
“Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable. The United States continues to support a credible, independent investigation to further determine all facts on the ground to aid in these processes of accountability. We have supported constructive action on the Rakhine crisis at the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. The United States will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions.”
“Ethnic cleansing” is not a recognized term in international law. But the treatment of the Royinghya is clearly a crime against humanity. We will have to see if the US takes any effective actions against Myanmar.
Royingha Refugees
World Politics News 
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