Thousands gather in Belgrade to bid farewell to convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic

Thousands gathered in Belgrade on Monday to say farewell to Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died on Aug. 27 at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague, Netherlands. The crimes for which he was convicted took place during the 1992-95 war in the former Yugoslavia, including the Srebrenica massacre.

The ceremony was held at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke and formally organized by Mladic's family. His coffin was expected to lie in state for several hours before an official memorial ceremony, followed by a procession to a nearby cemetery where his daughter is buried. War veterans wearing military berets were among those visible in the growing crowd.

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receive all the military and state honors to which he is entitled

The funeral has exposed deep divisions in Serbia and prompted international criticism. Justice Minister Nenad Vujic initially said the state would arrange a funeral in which Mladic would "receive all the military and state honors to which he is entitled." President Aleksandar Vucic later toned down that statement and said Serbia did not intend to honor Mladic, but would respect the family's wishes.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos criticized Serbia's handling of the funeral and canceled a planned visit to Belgrade. "The glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built," she wrote on X.

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The glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built