N1 Denied Accreditation for Ratko Mladić Memorial

N1 will not be able to report from the memorial service for Ratko Mladić after organizers rejected the Serbian broadcaster’s accreditation request. The ceremony for the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska is scheduled at noon at the House of the Army in central Belgrade.

The organizers told N1 that media space was limited because many relatives, friends and admirers of Mladić were expected to attend. “Unfortunately, on this occasion we inform you that we are unable to accept your request, given that media space is limited due to the expected presence of a large number of relatives, friends and admirers of General Ratko Mladić who will attend the memorial,” the response said.

Mladić died in prison on Aug. 27. The former Bosnian Serb commander was convicted in 2017 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His trial began on May 16, 2012, lasted 530 hearing days and included testimony from 592 witnesses and nearly 10,000 evidentiary items.

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Unfortunately, on this occasion we inform you that we are unable to accept your request, given that media space is limited due to the expected presence of a large number of relatives, friends and admirers of General Ratko Mladić who will attend the memorial.

He is due to be buried at Belgrade’s Topčider Cemetery on Monday between 1:30 and 2 p.m. His coffin will be placed from 7 a.m. at St. Luke’s Church in Košutnjak, where members of the public may pay their respects. The state has said Mladić will receive any honors requested by his family, but nongovernmental organizations warn that state honors are not legally permitted for convicted people.

The response to Mladić’s death in Serbia has triggered sharp international criticism. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said she would not visit Serbia the following week because of the glorification of Mladić after his death. Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty also condemned the public glorification, saying it insulted victims and was not protected by the European Convention on Human Rights. President Aleksandar Vučić called Kos’s explanation “extremely brief, but stupid,” while saying he would not attend the burial because he had a previously scheduled meeting with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

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extremely brief, but stupid