Shocking scenes in Serbia: Ratko Mladić proudly honored during football match

Crvena Zvezda, Serbia’s leading football club, shocked many by honoring Ratko Mladić before a match. The club held a minute of silence for the former Bosnian Serb military commander, who died late in the summer, while supporters raised a huge banner in his honor.

The club also shared images of the display. Bosnians condemned the gesture on social media. One post said the banner read, “Straight to Potočari!” Potočari was the site where killings took place during the Srebrenica genocide.

Mladić, widely known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” was held responsible for the Srebrenica genocide and other crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. He was convicted of genocide and war crimes in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a prison in The Hague.

His family has previously sought his release, saying he was seriously ill and had suffered a stroke in April. The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals rejected that request in May, saying he was receiving appropriate medical care in prison. In a renewed request, Serbia’s justice minister, Nenad Vujić, called for Mladić to be transferred to a military hospital in Belgrade.

Mladić was arrested in Serbia in 2011 after 16 years in hiding. The tribute drew condemnation from Bosnians, who also questioned why UEFA had taken no action, according to the article.

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Straight to Potočari!