Serbia Defies EU, Honors War Criminal Mladic in State Funeral
POLICY WIRE — Belgrade, Serbia — On Monday, thousands of mourners paid their respects to Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who died while serving a life sentence for war crimes, as his body...
POLICY WIRE — Belgrade, Serbia — On Monday, thousands of mourners paid their respects to Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who died while serving a life sentence for war crimes, as his body lay in state in Belgrade. This event took place despite European Union warnings against honoring a man convicted of the continent’s first case of genocide since World War II.
\n
The small Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke was the venue where Mladic’s military officer’s cap and saber were placed on his coffin, surrounded by men in fatigues. The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, led the funeral service.
\n
Among the attendees were Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik and the Russian ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko. Mladic, who died at 84 on August 27 in The Hague, Netherlands, was sentenced in 2017 for orchestrating the Srebrenica massacre, the siege of Sarajevo, and other war crimes.
\n
Since Mladic’s death, his supporters have held vigils, painted murals, and lit flares in his honor. On Sunday evening, soccer fans displayed a large image of Mladic and chanted his name at a match in Belgrade.
\n
In response, the Mothers of Srebrenica group in Bosnia urged the EU to take action, stating that Mladic’s funeral ‘threatens to become the biggest fascist gathering in Europe in the last 70 years.’ They emphasized that glorifying genocide is not an honor but a shame.
\n
The EU’s foreign service condemned any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial, and revisionism, emphasizing that such actions contradict fundamental European values. The statement also expressed solidarity with the victims, survivors, and their families affected by war crimes in former Yugoslavia countries.
\n
Milan Dobric, a mourner from Kosovo, praised Mladic, saying, ‘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 special respect.’
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
\n
While the funeral arrangements were formally made by Mladic’s family, the Serbian government sent a plane to bring his remains to Belgrade, and soldiers carried his coffin wrapped in the national flag. A military commemoration was also held at an official Serbian army venue.
\n
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a former extreme nationalist, described the funeral as an ’emotional outpouring’ that ‘has nothing to do’ with whether the government approved it or not. Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, has faced strong criticism for honoring Mladic after his death.
\n
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled her upcoming visit to Serbia in protest, arguing that the glorification surrounding Mladic’s death is incompatible with EU values. Vucic has stepped up his anti-Western rhetoric ahead of an early parliamentary election expected next month.
\n
Other European officials, regional leaders, and relatives of Mladic’s victims from the war in Bosnia have also criticized Serbia. The conflict, which ended in 1995, left more than 100,000 people dead and over 1 million homeless.
\n
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
