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🇱🇹 Lithuania /Conflict & Security

Ratko Mladić, convicted war criminal, buried in Belgrade amid public praise and condemnation

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Crowds gathered in Belgrade for the funeral of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, who died in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide and other crimes.
  • Supporters praised Mladić as a hero, while EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia and condemned the glorification.
  • Mladić was convicted over crimes including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed.

Crowds began gathering at Belgrade’s St Luke’s Church from early morning to pay tribute to Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal whose funeral exposed deep divisions over his legacy. Many kissed his closed coffin, while Serbian Orthodox priests recited prayers and mourners wore shirts praising him.

Police closed nearby streets as people arrived. Serbian flags flew around the church, and a large banner thanked the mother who had given birth to a hero “to restore glory to the Serbs.” Mladić’s body was due to lie in state at the church for five hours before a ceremony and procession to a nearby cemetery.

To restore glory to the Serbs.

· Unidentified banner textA banner displayed near the Belgrade church praised Mladić and his mother.

The coffin had been flown to Serbia on a government aircraft and received with military honors. Mostly young men gathered on motorway overpasses as it left the airport, carrying posters honoring Mladić and setting off signal flares. Some police officers saluted the convoy, according to the article.

This shows the Serbian leadership identifying with one of the worst killers in European history. This has unforeseen consequences for the future of the entire region.

· Denis BećirovićThe chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency criticized the public glorification of Mladić.

The public tribute drew sharp criticism. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia, saying the glorification was incompatible with the values underpinning the country’s path toward the European Union. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency chairman, Denis Bećirović, said it showed the Serbian leadership identifying with one of the worst killers in European history and warned of consequences for the region.

Mladić died in The Hague at 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian war. The UN tribunal convicted him over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, when Bosnian Serb forces killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in a UN-protected safe area. The war killed about 100,000 people and forced 2.2 million from their homes. Fadila Efendić, who lost her son and husband at Srebrenica, said it was painful to know that Mladić’s ideas had not died.

Knowing that his ideas have not died.

· Fadila EfendićThe Srebrenica survivor spoke about the continuing pain caused by public praise for Mladić.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. 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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