Thousands Attend Funeral of Convicted War Criminal Ratko Mladic in Belgrade
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The Story
Thousands of people attended the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic in Belgrade on Monday. Mladic, who died on August 27 at age 84, was serving a life sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). In 2017, the ICTY convicted Mladic of genocide over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where an estimated 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed. His body lay in state at St. Luke church, where the main religious service was led by Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Mladic was buried with military honors at Topcider Cemetery beside his daughter, who died by suicide in 1994. Mourners carried Serbian flags and photographs of Mladic, with free buses provided from towns in Serbia and Bosnia. The funeral proceeded despite warnings from Brussels against glorifying Mladic. The EU stated, "Any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism contradict the most fundamental European values." Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend the funeral, citing a previously scheduled visit, but his son Danilo Vucic, several Serbian ministers, and the Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko were present. Vucic insisted the state was respecting the family's wishes for a dignified funeral and dismissed criticism from the EU, calling EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos's reaction stupid. Since Mladic's death, nationalist admirers have held vigils, painted murals, and chanted his name at football matches.
The Spread
Center
What they agree on
- Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade on Monday for the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.
- Mladic, who died on August 27 at age 84, was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
- The funeral included a religious service led by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and Mladic was buried with military honors.
- The event proceeded despite warnings from the European Union against the glorification of war criminals.
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend, but his son Danilo Vucic, several Serbian ministers, and the Russian Ambassador to Serbia were present.
Where they split
- Al Jazeera and The Guardian frame the event as a "hero's burial" for Mladic, while RT (Russia Today) and N1 Info state he was buried "with no state honors" or "with military honors" but not state honors, reflecting a nuance in official recognition.
- The Jerusalem Post and Al Jazeera highlight the deep division surrounding Mladic's legacy and the "fueling tensions" in the region, whereas Informer TV, as reported by Deutsche Welle, provided live coverage describing it as a "magnificent farewell" without mentioning his crimes.
- The Independent and BBC News emphasize the EU's condemnation of Mladic's "glorification" and its implications for Serbia's EU candidate status, while Deutsche Welle and N1 Info detail President Vucic's dismissive reaction to EU criticism, including calling EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos's reaction "stupid."
Source Perspectives
Left5 sources