Thousands of people formed a crowd outside a church in Belgrade on Monday to honor Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, according to reports.
Mladić passed away at the end of last month while serving a life sentence in the Netherlands. Despite his conviction, he remains a revered figure among many in Serbia and the Serb Republic of Bosnia.
In contrast, he is infamous in other former Yugoslav countries and internationally for his involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.
Supporters bearing Serbian flags and photos of Mladić arrived early in the morning to light candles before the scheduled service.
Free bus transportation was provided from various cities in Serbia and some in Bosnia for those wishing to pay their last respects.
His coffin was placed inside the church, guarded by six men, mainly war veterans from Serbia and Bosnia. Mladić’s wife, son, and grandsons were present, receiving condolences from mourners.
“Time will tell, time is the best judge, which will show what kind of man each is and to whom,” said Jovan Vincic, a Belgrade resident who attended the service.
Why Is Ratko Mladić Known as the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’?
Mladić’s death has sparked strong feelings regarding the breakup of Yugoslavia and the ethnic conflicts that followed in the Balkans.
He was found guilty of genocide by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for his role in the Srebrenica massacre, where approximately 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces captured the UN-protected enclave.
His convictions also include participation in the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, which resulted in around 10,000 deaths.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos postponed her planned visit to Serbia last week, citing what she described as the “glorification” of Mladić after his death, including the use of a government plane to repatriate his body to Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed these statements but did not indicate whether he would attend the funeral. The Serbian government announced the day after Mladić’s death on August 27 that it would hold national funerals for him.
Ratko Mladić’s Burial Conducted by Serbian Orthodox Patriarch
The religious service is set to be conducted by the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, followed by his burial in a nearby cemetery next to his daughter, who passed away in 1994.
Meanwhile, in Sarajevo, the funeral has revived painful memories of war.
“It is truly horrifying that this is happening there (in Belgrade), because I know there are normal people who are against this,” said Zdravka Gvozdjar, a retired pharmacist whose 9-year-old son was killed during the Sarajevo siege by a grenade fired by forces led by Mladić. He was one of over 1,000 children killed in the city.
“Mladić… deserved only to be erased from memory completely, not to be… promoted as a hero,” she stated. “He should be remembered only as a butcher.”
