Serbia Holds Memorial Ceremony for Ratko Mladić

A memorial ceremony for Ratko Mladić took place in Belgrade as supporters gathered to honor the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of war crimes and genocide during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ceremony was held at the House of the Serbian Armed Forces. According to Serbia’s N1 portal, Justice Minister Nenad Vujić attended, along with members of Mladić’s family, former members of the Republika Srpska army and his supporters. Some attendees wore black, while others wore shirts showing Mladić with the word “hero.” One group traveled by bus from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mladić’s remains were flown from the Netherlands to Serbia on Thursday and taken in a convoy to the Military Medical Academy, where his family reportedly requested an autopsy. He is due to be buried on Monday at Topčider Cemetery. President Aleksandar Vučić said he would not attend the funeral because Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would be making an official visit to Serbia at that time. Vučić said the funeral arrangements were being handled by Mladić’s family.

Vujić previously said that Serbia could bury Mladić with full state honors, prompting condemnation across the region. Kos canceled a visit planned for Wednesday because of the glorification of Mladić in Serbia.

Mladić died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at the age of 85 while serving a life sentence. He was convicted over crimes including the siege of Sarajevo, which killed more than 12,000 civilians, and the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which Bosnian Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Bosniaks.