4 reasons Ratko Mladic's arrest matters

The ex-Bosnian Serb general allegedly "masterminded the butchery" of the deadly Srebrenica massacre in 1995. What does his long-awaited capture mean?

After 15 years in hiding, former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic may face genocide charges stemming from the 1995 Srebrenica killings of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
(Image credit: REUTERS)

Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic faces an extradition hearing on Friday to determine whether he will face genocide charges in an international court, something human rights activists have long wanted. Serbian police arrested Mladic, who'd been in hiding for 15 years, on Thursday in a tiny village near Belgrade. Prosecutors want to put Mladic on trial for war crimes that occurred after Bosnia-Herzegovina's secession from the former Yugoslavia — including the 1995 killings of nearly 8,000 men and boys in the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. Here, four reasons his arrest matters:

1. Mladic's arrest is a warning to other criminals

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