Bosnia’s state prosecutor receives thousands of complaints over glorification of convicted war criminal Mladić

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Prosecutor’s Office has received thousands of individual complaints over social media posts and media statements seen as glorifying Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal who died in a prison in The Hague on Aug. 27 while serving a life sentence.

The office said citizens had sent several thousand emails reporting posts or comments they considered objectionable. It also received complaints from individuals and representatives of political parties and other political organizations. Police agencies, however, had not reacted to the reported material or filed complaints so far.

“All complaints received will be analyzed by the prosecutors handling the cases and by the police agencies, and the public will be informed of the results later,” the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement carried by local media.

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All complaints received will be analyzed by the prosecutors handling the cases and by the police agencies, and the public will be informed of the results later.

The reports followed reactions across Bosnia and Herzegovina that included praise for Mladić and renewed condemnation of the crimes for which the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him. Politicians from the Bosnian Serb community led statements describing him as a hero and freedom fighter, despite the tribunal’s judgment. Other people followed with similar posts on social media.

The law prohibits glorifying war criminals convicted in final judgments, honoring them, or denying final verdicts. The provision was introduced through amendments imposed in 2021 by then-High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Valentin Inzko. It carries prison sentences ranging from three months to five years.

The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina reported leading Republika Srpska politicians, including Milorad Dodik, to the prosecutor’s office on Aug. 28 over statements about Mladić. Dodik later claimed he had information about 55,000 complaints and objected especially to the legal basis created by Inzko’s amendments. He called the state court and prosecutor’s office “an instrument of Bosniak politics” and said he would attend Mladić’s funeral. Gatherings and books of condolence were organized in Republika Srpska cities after Mladić’s death.

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An instrument of Bosniak politics