Mladić Funeral Sparks EU Tensions
Thousands Attend Belgrade Funeral for Convicted War Criminal Ratko Mladić Amid EU Condemnation
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Key Points
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Mladić was arrested in 2011, 16 years after his initial indictment, and received a life sentence in 2021 following a nine-year trial.
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The funeral was held at the small St. Luke Church rather than Belgrade’s grand Saint Sava Temple, where state funerals are normally held.
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Among the attendees were Russia’s ambassador to Serbia and Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia’s Serb entity, alongside Serbian ministers.
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Mladić’s remains were transported to Serbia aboard a government aircraft; a banner outside the church read, “Welcome, General, thanks be to your mother for bearing a hero.”
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Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije said Mladić’s name would remain “deeply etched in the memory and prayers of the majority of our Serbian Orthodox people, who feel and nurture a deep sense of gratitude towards him.”
Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal who commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1990s war, died at 84 while serving a life sentence. BBC reported that thousands attended his funeral in Belgrade on June 13, where military honors and nationalist tributes drew swift condemnation from European officials. The ceremony underscored how Mladić remains a hero to many Serbs despite his conviction for genocide and the Srebrenica massacre that killed over 8,000 people.
Yahoo News reported that Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije said Mladić's name would remain 'deeply etched in the memory and prayers of the majority of our Serbian Orthodox people.' EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia in protest, signaling tension between Belgrade's bid for European membership and its embrace of a convicted mass killer.
How Mladić Commanded the Bosnian Genocide
Mladić led Bosnian Serb forces from 1992 to 1995. His military strategy centered on ethnic cleansing — forcing non-Serbs from their homes through terror and mass killing. BBC documented that his troops committed some of Europe's worst atrocities since World War II, including the Srebrenica massacre where Serb forces murdered 8,000 Muslim men and boys in just three days.
Mladić evaded capture for 16 years after the war ended. BBC reported he was arrested in 2011 and tried for nine years before receiving a life sentence in 2021. He died in a UN prison in The Hague while appealing his conviction.
A Military Funeral for a War Crimes Convict
Thousands gathered at Belgrade's St. Luke Church to honor Mladić with military processions and ceremonial guards. Yahoo News reported that his coffin bore military insignia, and soldiers stood watch as mourners filed past. A banner outside the church read: 'Welcome, General, thanks be to your mother for bearing a hero.' Serbian ministers and Orthodox Church leaders attended alongside Russia's ambassador to Serbia.
The ceremony deliberately avoided Belgrade's grand Saint Sava Temple, where state funerals normally occur. BBC noted that Mladić's remains arrived on a government aircraft, suggesting official involvement despite President Vučić's claim that the funeral reflected family wishes alone, not state endorsement.
EU Warns Serbia Over 'Incompatible' Genocide Honors
European officials condemned the military honors as fundamentally incompatible with EU values. BBC reported that Marta Kos, the EU's enlargement commissioner, canceled her planned visit to Serbia in protest. The move signals deep concern that Belgrade is backsliding on war crimes accountability — a key requirement for EU membership.
Serbian officials denied glorifying Mladić or betraying European standards. But Yahoo News observed that the funeral revealed a sharp divide: for the EU, Mladić represents genocide; for many Serbs, he remains a national defender. This cultural rift threatens Serbia's decade-long push to join the European Union.
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