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🇷🇸 Serbia /Conflict & Security

Ratko Mladić to be buried in Belgrade today amid controversy over honors

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Ratko Mladić, who died while serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes, is scheduled to be buried at Belgrade's Topčider Cemetery.
  • A memorial ceremony drew Serbian and Republika Srpska officials, while European officials condemned the honors surrounding his death.
  • The funeral plans include a procession, an honor guard, a ceremonial gun salute and speeches, although the attendance of Serbia's top leadership remains unclear.

Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska who died in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes, is due to be buried today at Belgrade's Topčider Cemetery.

His body is scheduled to lie in state at St Luke's Church in Vidikovac from 7 a.m. to noon, followed by a religious service. Some Belgrade media reported that Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije would lead the ceremony, but this has not been officially confirmed.

The glorification surrounding his death is not in line with the values on which the European path rests.

· Marta KosThe European enlargement commissioner explained why she canceled a planned visit to Belgrade.

Svetozar Andrić, a member of the funeral organizing team, said a procession would then accompany Mladić to Topčider Cemetery, where he will be buried beside his daughter Ana. An honor guard is expected to escort the remains to the grave, followed by a ceremonial gun salute and farewell speeches. Organizers also said they would coordinate the arrival of people from Republika Srpska and Serbia.

Social media posts said several local authorities in Republika Srpska and Montenegro were arranging transport for people who wanted to attend. It remained unclear which senior state officials would be present. President Aleksandar Vučić said he would be meeting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, whose visit had been scheduled months earlier.

Stupid.

· Aleksandar VučićSerbia's president dismissed Kos's statement about the tributes to Mladić.

A memorial held at Belgrade's Army House on Saturday was attended by Serbia's Justice Minister Nenad Vujić, Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan and Radan Ostojić, the entity's minister for labor and veterans' affairs. European officials, however, condemned the tributes. European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned September 10 visit to Belgrade, saying that “the glorification surrounding his death is not in line with the values on which the European path rests.” Vučić called her statement “stupid.”

Mladić's son, Darko, asked mourners not to buy flowers and instead donate the money to a charity helping sick children. He also urged people to attend peacefully and said the funeral should not become “a pretext for clashes.” Serbian flags and preparations, including a video screen and public toilets, had appeared near the church, while the surrounding area was cleaned. Traffic changes had not been publicly announced.

A pretext for clashes.

· Darko MladićMladić's son said the funeral should not become a pretext for conflict.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. 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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