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Serbia Buries Ratko Mladic, the “Butcher of Bosnia” Convicted of Genocide

From El Nacional · () Spanish

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

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ratko Mladic’s coffin was displayed at an Orthodox church in Belgrade before his burial at Topcider cemetery, alongside the remains of his daughter Ana.
  • Mladic, who died aged 83 in a Dutch prison hospital, was convicted by the ICTY for crimes including the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 Muslim men were killed.
  • The funeral coverage and public tributes drew condemnation from the OSCE mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an EU commissioner and the Srebrenica Mothers association.

Ratko Mladic’s coffin was placed before the altar of Belgrade’s Church of St. Luke, flanked by six Serbian army members, as thousands gathered to bid farewell to the former Bosnian Serb general known as the “Butcher of Bosnia.” His burial later Monday triggered an international controversy over the tributes paid to him.

People’s funeral

· Darko MladicMladic’s son used the phrase to describe the public farewell he expected from supporters in Serbia and the Republika Srpska.

Serbian television channels and online portals broadcast the ceremony live. Mladic died on Aug. 27 at age 83 in a Dutch prison hospital. He had spent 16 years as a fugitive before Serbia arrested him in 2011. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him of genocide and crimes against humanity, including the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, where more than 8,000 Muslim men were killed.

The Serbian Orthodox Church’s leader, Porfirije, was expected to conduct the funeral with about 300 other priests. The coffin was scheduled to be buried at around 3 p.m. local time at Topcider cemetery, beside the remains of Mladic’s daughter Ana, who died by suicide in 1994 during the Bosnian war.

glorification

· Marta KosThe EU enlargement commissioner cited the tributes as the reason for canceling a planned visit to Belgrade.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not plan to attend, according to the pro-government newspaper Informer. Mladic’s son, Darko, said he did not expect political involvement but predicted a “people’s funeral,” referring to citizens in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb Republic who regard his father as a hero.

Direction Potocari

· Ratko MladicThe phrase appeared beside a large portrait of Mladic at a Serbian football derby and was attributed to him when he ordered movement toward Srebrenica.

The public celebration drew sharp criticism. The OSCE mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed concern about public-media coverage and said broadcasters should not amplify the glorification of war criminals. It asked justice authorities to assess possible criminal-code violations. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Belgrade because of the acts of “glorification.” At a Serbian football derby, fans displayed a large portrait of Mladic and the words “Direction Potocari.” The Srebrenica Mothers association called the display “a message of hate, an invocation of genocide and the glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.”

It is a message of hate, an invocation of genocide and the glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.

· Srebrenica Mothers associationThe association condemned the public tribute from Sarajevo.
About this summary

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. 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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