Thousands march past Mladić’s coffin as Grlić Radman calls glorification ‘an insult to victims’

Thousands of people filed past the coffin of Ratko Mladić on Monday, as Croatia’s foreign minister condemned the public glorification of the convicted war criminal as incompatible with European values.

Mladić’s remains had been placed on display from the morning at a local church near Belgrade’s Topčider Cemetery, where he was due to be buried at around 2 p.m. The scenes drew a sharp response from Gordan Grlić Radman, Croatia’s minister of foreign and European affairs.

“You know that he was never held accountable in Croatia for the crimes for which Ratko Mladić was responsible, especially in Škabrnja, Knin and the Zadar hinterland, while he was convicted of genocide in Srebrenica. But the current glorification of this war criminal is truly incompatible with European values,” Grlić Radman said in Lug near Bugojno, where a Croatian community center is being built with financial support from the Croatian government.

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You know that he was never held accountable in Croatia for the crimes for which Ratko Mladić was responsible, especially in Škabrnja, Knin and the Zadar hinterland, while he was convicted of genocide in Srebrenica. But the current glorification of this war criminal is truly incompatible with European values.

He said Mladić was being celebrated not only in Serbia but also in Montenegro. “Above all, this is an insult to the victims and their families, to the survivors and the families of the victims,” he said. He called for steps to protect European values, particularly in countries sending such messages that are candidates for European Union membership.

The report said European Commission Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia because of the glorification. Mladić, the wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb army, was convicted of genocide in Srebrenica, persecution and forced displacement, attacks on civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, and hostage-taking of United Nations peacekeepers. He received a life sentence and died at a prison hospital in The Hague on August 27 at the age of 85.

Asked about elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Grlić Radman said Croatia’s HDZ supports Darijana Filipović, the candidate of its sister party HDZ BiH for the Croat seat on the country’s presidency. The elections are scheduled for October 4.

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Above all, this is an insult to the victims and their families, to the survivors and the families of the victims.