Kerim Bajramovic, a survivor of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian War, recently reflected on his encounter with Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general convicted for orchestrating the genocide that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Bosniak men and boys. Bajramovic, now living in Revere, recalled the moment Mladic arrived in the UN-designated safe area of Srebrenica, a small mountain town in eastern Bosnia that had become a refuge for displaced Bosniak civilians amid the conflict following Yugoslavia’s breakup.

At the time, Bajramovic was 14 years old. He described how Mladic appeared in military uniform, accompanied by soldiers, and how the general’s presence and the deference of his entourage conveyed a sense of authority and power to the crowd. Mladic addressed the gathered civilians, claiming that “your government left you to us,” and stated they would be transferred to the nearby town of Tuzla. Some in the crowd expressed gratitude, an unsettling reaction in hindsight given the subsequent events.

In July 1995, Serb forces overran the enclave, violating the supposed UN protection. Men and boys were separated from their families, forced to undress, executed, and buried in mass graves—acts that led to the identification of the massacre as the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. The killing of approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica stands as a key element in the charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes levied against Mladic.

Bajramovic personally lost about 30 acquaintances in the massacre and described the long-lasting trauma of the event. He emphasized that the brutality went beyond the immediate deaths, noting that the exhumation and identification of remains continues decades later.

In August, Bajramovic learned of Mladic’s death at age 83 in a detention facility in The Hague, where the former general had been held since his conviction nearly ten years ago. Mladic had been found guilty by an international tribunal for his role in directing the campaign of ethnic cleansing and atrocities during the war.

Despite Mladic’s passing, Bajramovic expressed enduring sorrow and anger. “I wish he lived forever, so he can just be locked up,” he said, stressing that no sentence can undo the suffering inflicted. The memory of the genocide and the loss of life remain deeply etched in Bajramovic’s experience, underscoring the lasting impact of the Bosnian War on survivors and communities.