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🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Todorović on Mladić Funeral: “Justice Minister Is Breaking His Own Country’s Laws”

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Sofija Todorović of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights said Serbia’s divisions did not begin with Ratko Mladić’s funeral.
  • She questioned why the commemoration is being held at a state military institution and why Mladić is publicly referred to as a general.
  • Todorović also criticized Serbia’s handling of same-sex partnership legislation and developments at Jovina Gymnasium.

Sofija Todorović says Ratko Mladić’s funeral is not the source of Serbia’s divisions, but the state’s role in the ceremony has raised serious legal questions. The Youth Initiative for Human Rights representative accused Justice Minister Nenad Vujić of breaking the laws of his own country, calling him the “justice minister of injustice.”

Why has Mladić’s funeral become a state matter?

· Sofija TodorovićShe distinguished the family’s private right to hold a funeral from the state-backed commemoration surrounding it.

Todorović said Mladić’s family has the right to bury him, describing the funeral itself as a private matter. Her objection concerns everything surrounding it. She asked why the commemoration is taking place at the Army House, a state institution, and why Mladić is being publicly called a general when, she said, that violates Serbia’s Law on the Army.

Why is the commemoration for Mladić taking place at the Army House, which is a state institution?

· Sofija TodorovićShe questioned the use of a state military venue for the event.

She recalled that anyone convicted of crimes under international criminal law immediately loses the right to hold a military rank and cannot receive state honors in any form. Mladić, who died last week in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is due to be buried at Belgrade’s Topčider Cemetery on Monday between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. The commemoration at the Army House is scheduled for today.

We do not have a law on registered same-sex partnerships because human rights are not the focus of Serbia’s institutions.

· Sofija TodorovićShe criticized the government’s approach to legal recognition of same-sex couples.

Todorović also said Serbia lacks a law recognizing same-sex partnerships because human rights are not a priority for the country’s institutions, including the ministry responsible for the issue. She said politicians treat the matter as a bargaining tool, while legal recognition would help same-sex couples exercise rights related to inheritance, buying homes and hospital visits. On events at Jovina Gymnasium, where the director recently dismissed numerous teachers, she expressed admiration for parents who have fought for a long time for their children’s future and the future of the school.

This is what revenge in 2026 looks like against everyone who fights for their rights.

· Sofija TodorovićShe used the phrase while discussing events at Jovina Gymnasium and the dismissal of teachers.
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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