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Thousands of complaints filed over glorification of Ratko Mladić in Bosnia and Herzegovina

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina's prosecutor's office has received thousands of complaints over posts and comments glorifying convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić or denying genocide.
  • More than 50,000 reports have been recorded by the civic initiative Register 145a and forwarded to prosecutors after review.
  • Activists say the main problem is enforcement, as convictions and indictments remain limited despite existing legal provisions and several recent sanctions.

Thousands of electronic messages have reached Bosnia and Herzegovina's prosecutor's office over social media posts and media comments glorifying Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb army commander convicted of genocide and other war crimes.

More than 50,000 complaints have been recorded by the civic initiative Register 145a. After review, the reports are forwarded to the prosecutor's office. Denis Džidić, executive director and editor of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the problem lies not in the lack of a legal framework, but in how it is applied.

“There are many complaints over genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals convicted by final judgment, but very few indictments, whose purpose is also to have a deterrent effect,” Džidić told Deutsche Welle. Bosnia and Herzegovina has court practice covering the glorification of war criminals and genocide denial, but the number of indictments and convictions remains small.

Courts have previously sentenced Miodrag Malić and Vojin Pavlović to prison for glorifying Mladić and Radovan Karadžić. Criminal complaints were also filed against Milorad Dodik and Staša Košarac over public statements praising Mladić after his death.

The issue has also produced workplace sanctions. A doctor at the Tomislavgrad health center was dismissed after posting a photograph and praise of Mladić online, while the Orašje Cantonal Hospital reportedly ended a surgeon's temporary engagement over similar posts. The Sarajevo Football Club academy also ended its cooperation with goalkeeper Veljko Vučetić because of his father's posts about Mladić. Mladić died in The Hague on Aug. 27 while serving a life sentence and is due to be buried at Belgrade's Topčider Cemetery.

There are many complaints over genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals convicted by final judgment, but very few indictments, whose purpose is also to have a deterrent effect

· Denis DžidićThe BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina executive director and editor criticized the limited number of indictments despite numerous complaints.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. 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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