“Welcome, General”: Ratko Mladić buried to applause from thousands of Serbs

Ratko Mladić was buried in Belgrade on Monday, September 7, before thousands of mourners, many of whom still regard the former Bosnian Serb commander as a hero despite his life sentence for genocide and war crimes.

People began gathering in the morning at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke. Mladić’s coffin stood inside with his military cap and sword placed on top, while men in military uniforms stood on either side. Patriarch Porfirije led the religious service, attended by family members, war veterans, officials and supporters of the former commander.

“ We pray for the soul of the departed,” the patriarch told the crowd. Milan Dobric, who traveled from Kosovo for the funeral, said, “He was a man who gave everything in his life for the Serbian people. I am glad that this morning people are coming to pay him special respect.” Some mourners bowed before the coffin, while others stopped to kiss it. Police closed nearby streets as the crowd grew.

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We pray for the soul of the departed.

Many attendees wore T-shirts honoring Mladić. Serbian flags flew near the church, and a huge banner stretched across the street carrying the message: “Welcome, General, and thanks to your mother for bringing into the world a hero who would return the glory of Greater Serbia.”

The ceremony also attracted attention because several Serbian officials attended despite criticism from the European Union. Those present included Milorad Dodik, leader of Republika Srpska, Željka Cvijanović, a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency, Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić and Danilo Vučić, the son of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

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He was a man who gave everything in his life for the Serbian people. I am glad that this morning people are coming to pay him special respect.