Funeral of Ratko Mladic Held in Belgrade

Thousands attended the funeral of Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb army general convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, in Belgrade. Mladic, 84, died on August 27 while serving a life sentence for his role in the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His body was returned to Serbia on a government plane last week, which drew condemnation from various regions. Mladic was buried on Monday with military honors, wrapped in the Serbian flag, and attended by Serbian opposition figures, officials from Republika Srpska, and Russia's Ambassador to Serbia, Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend the funeral, although he had previously expressed support for what he termed a 'dignified funeral.' Mladic's family thanked him for his support. Police restricted access to areas around the church and cemetery where the funeral took place. The main religious service was conducted by Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Mladic's legacy remains divisive in Serbian society and has been criticized by civil society organizations, which protested the military honors given to him. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos canceled a visit to Belgrade due to the funeral, stating that the glorification of Mladic is incompatible with EU values. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also cautioned against glorifying convicted war criminals. Mladic was known for his command during the genocide in Srebrenica, where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed in July 1995. His military career began in the Yugoslav People's Army, and he became a prominent military leader during the Bosnian War. Mladic was arrested in May 2011 after years of evasion and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Despite his convictions, he retained support among certain public and political circles in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In May 2024, the UN General Assembly declared July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide.