On Saturday, a gathering of approximately 300 former and current Serbian military personnel, along with family members and officials, took place in Belgrade to commemorate Ratko Mladic, a convicted war criminal. Mladic, known as the “Butcher of the Balkans” for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, passed away last Thursday in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity.
His body was returned to Serbia after a week, where it was displayed in a coffin draped with the national flag and received military honors.
Mladic is set to be buried on Monday in a cemetery in Belgrade, during a funeral service expected to draw thousands of attendees.
Hundreds Attend Commemoration Ceremony
At the military center in Belgrade, the event was organized by an association of active and retired Serbian generals. Notable attendees included Mladic’s son, Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic, and officials from the Republika Srpska, the Serbian entity in Bosnia, including President Sinisa Karan.
Outside the venue, several dozen supporters gathered at the Serbian army headquarters in central Belgrade, unable to enter due to capacity limits. Some displayed flags and wore shirts depicting Mladic in uniform with the slogan “Serbian Hero.”
The Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995 resulted in around 100,000 deaths and displaced 2.2 million people. Under Mladic’s command, Serbian forces executed 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks in Srebrenica, a supposed United Nations protected enclave.
European Commission Condemns War Criminal Glorification
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, canceled a trip to Serbia due to Mladic’s funeral, stating that the “glorification of war criminals” contradicts the fundamental values of Europe and should have no place in the EU or in aspiring member countries.
Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since March 2012, following an application submitted in 2009. However, talks have stalled over perceived deficiencies in rule of law reforms and ongoing tensions between Belgrade and Kosovo.
