Heidi Hautala, Chairwoman of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, welcomes the news on the arrest of General Ratko Mladic on 26 of May. After 15 years on the run, he will now have to face the charges that he orchestrated the genocide in Srebrenica and masterminded many other grave human rights violations. This case shows that the time for all fugitives from justice will eventually run out, Hautala said.[:]

Today we are again one step closer to a world where genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes do not go unpunished. This arrest shows that those who flaunt the universal norms will face justice one day, she added.

According to Hautala, the capture of one of the main suspects of the Balkan wars highlights the growing importance of the international criminal law in reconciliation and peace building. “Reconciliation cannot be achieved in situation where impunity has prevailed. Similarly, without justice, peace is built on sand.”

But above all, the victims of the Balkan war crimes deserve justice. Those who suffered at the hands of the abusers, those lost their loved ones and those who are still searching for theirs, deseserve justice, Hautala stressed.