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Convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic receives hero’s burial in Serbia

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Thousands gathered in Belgrade for Ratko Mladic’s funeral despite warnings against glorifying the former Bosnian Serb army commander convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • Mladic received full military honours, with Serbian officials, Republika Srpska representatives and pro-Serbian politicians among those attending.
  • The funeral drew condemnation from the European Union, the United Nations and Serbian civil society groups, while Mladic’s legacy continues to divide the region.

Thousands gathered in Belgrade to bury Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army general convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. His coffin, wrapped in the Serbian flag, was carried to the cemetery with full military honours, despite repeated warnings against glorifying him.

Mladic, 84, died on August 27 while serving a life sentence for crimes committed during Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 1992 to 1995 war. His body was returned to Serbia on a government plane the previous week, prompting condemnation in the region and beyond.

dignified funeral

· Aleksandar VucicThe Serbian president supported the funeral’s presentation despite not attending it.

Government members did not attend, but the funeral drew Serbian opposition figures, former and current officials from Republika Srpska, pro-Serbian politicians from Montenegro and Russia’s ambassador to Serbia, Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko. President Aleksandar Vucic stayed away, although his son Danilo attended. Mladic’s family had thanked the president for his support, and Vucic backed what he called a “dignified funeral”.

the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built

· Marta KosThe European commissioner for enlargement explained why she cancelled a visit to Belgrade.

Police closed parts of Belgrade around the church and cemetery. Mladic’s body lay in state at St. Luke church from early morning, and Patriarch Porfirije led the religious service. Some mourners waited for hours to pay their respects to a figure whose legacy still divides Serbian society and fuels tensions across the region three decades after the war.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Belgrade, saying “the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built”. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned against glorifying convicted war criminals. Serbian civil society groups called the military honours an insult to victims and survivors. Sociologist Marko Oljaca said Vucic had avoided the funeral but mobilised a broader effort that mythologised and humanised Mladic while denying or relativising his crimes.

It is cowardly, but the fact that he is a coward does not mean he is not dangerous

· Marko OljacaThe Belgrade-based sociologist criticised the broader treatment of Mladic’s legacy.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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