Memorial held for Ratko Mladić as Serbia’s justice minister attends

A memorial for Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, drew family members, former wartime personnel and supporters to Belgrade on Saturday. Serbia’s Justice Minister Nenad Vujić attended the ceremony at the House of the Serbian Army.

About 150 people waited in two lines outside the building before the midday event, while another 200 gathered in a park across the road, according to a Beta agency reporter. Some attendees wore military uniforms. Others wore black or T-shirts bearing Mladić’s image and the word “Hero.”

The crowd included war veterans, people who had served in Republika Srpska forces, politicians and citizens who said they respected Mladić and rejected the serious crimes for which he was convicted. A group arrived by bus from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Not everyone could enter the building, and most supporters declined to speak to reporters.

Retired Colonel General Branko Krga, who commanded a brigade during the period when Mladić was also in command, spoke at the start of the ceremony. Radan Ostojić, Republika Srpska’s minister responsible for labor and veterans’ affairs, also attended.

Mladić’s son, Darko Mladić, said his father would be buried at Belgrade’s Topčider Cemetery on Monday, Sept. 7, in the grave where his daughter Ana is buried. The coffin was to be displayed from 7 a.m. at St. Luke’s Church in the Vidikovac neighborhood before the burial.

Darko Mladić claimed at a news conference that his father had been “killed in The Hague through negligent medical treatment and the deliberate administration of excessively strong drugs,” but he presented no evidence. Mladić died on Aug. 27 in The Hague while serving a life sentence.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him in 2017 of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His trial began in 2012, lasted more than four years of evidence hearings and included testimony from 592 witnesses and nearly 10,000 exhibits.

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Killed in The Hague through negligent medical treatment and the deliberate administration of excessively strong drugs.