United Nations appeals judges at The Hague war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands have upheld the life sentence of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic and rejected his appeal against convictions for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity "in its entirety." 

Called the "Butcher of Bosnia" for overseeing the bloodshed of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Madlic was in charge of the Serb forces that executed 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in one of Europe's bloodiest wars of the late 20th century.

READ MORE:

Tuscan town leads recycling fashion

What is the G7 global tax deal?

An Agenda special: Costing the earth

Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas commented on the ruling, tweeting that he was "relieved" by the verdict and that justice had "triumphed." 

U.S. President Joe Biden said: "This historic judgment shows that those who commit horrific crimes will be held accountable." Adding: "It also reinforces our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world."

Families of the Srebrenica massacre's victims were waiting for the verdict outside the court.

"Today is a historic day, not only for us mothers, but also for the whole Balkans, Europe and the world," said Munira Subasic, who lost her husband as well as her 16-year-old son in the 1995 massacre.

Mladic, who is now 78, is currently being held in the Netherlands but will likely serve the rest of his sentence in another country, yet to be decided.