Thousands of Serbs have gathered to pay their respects to the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, Ratko Mladić, who died a week and a half ago in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Although there was no official state funeral, Mladić’s death has triggered a wave of nationalism in Serbia: memorial events were organized in various locations, murals of him appeared in Belgrade, and fans chanted his name during football matches.
Previously, Serbia‘s Minister of Justice Nenad Vujić promised that Mladić would receive “military and state honors.” This drew international criticism and warnings from the European Union, which described the situation as an “important test” for the EU candidate country. While the government of Serbia officially denies involvement in organizing the funeral, authorities provided a plane to transport Mladić’s body from the Netherlands. Minister Vujić was on that flight on Thursday, and at the airport, soldiers carried the coffin, partially draped in a Serbian flag, to a vehicle.
Commemoration and international reaction
Last weekend, the Serbian army held a farewell ceremony for the former general, known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” who ordered the genocide in Srebrenica and the nearly four-year siege of Sarajevo. His life sentence did not prevent the ceremony from being held on official military grounds.
For many Serbs, Mladić remains a hero. “A man who gave his whole life for the Serbian people,” Milan Dobrić, who traveled from Kosovo to Belgrade on Monday to pay his final respects, told the AP agency. Like thousands of others, he stood in line early in the morning at the Serbian Orthodox church, where Mladić’s coffin was guarded by six soldiers.
In Bosnia, the commemoration of Mladić sparked outrage. “Even after 31 years, we still carry this pain in our souls,” Munira Subašić of the “Mothers of Srebrenica” organization previously told the AP agency. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that “the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values upon which the European path is based” and canceled a planned visit to Serbia.
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić called the decision “stupid, as always” and questioned the need to ban people from attending the funeral. At the same time, the president himself did not attend the ceremony, citing “previously scheduled meetings.”
Political context in Serbia
Serbia, which has held EU candidate status since 2012, has been drifting further from Europe in recent years. Notably, Aleksandar Vučić has refused to join international sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Dissatisfaction with the country’s current course intensified after a canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad in late 2024, killing 16 people. Following prolonged protests, Aleksandar Vučić agreed last summer to hold new elections, likely hoping for an opportunity to become prime minister again. His presidential term is ending and cannot be extended.
Source: de Volkskrant
