Hundreds hail ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic as a hero at Belgrade memorial

Belgrade witnessed a memorial service for war criminal Ratko Mladic on September 6, two days before his burial. The event, organized by retired and active Serbian army generals, saw an attendance of around 300 people, including Mladic's family members and officials from the Bosnian Serb statelet, Republika Srpska. Mladic had passed away last week after suffering multiple strokes while serving a life sentence at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for war crimes committed during the 1990s conflict in Bosnia.

His body was repatriated in a government plane on Thursday, honored with military ceremonies. Despite international condemnation, Mladic will be laid to rest in a Belgrade cemetery the following day, expected to draw thousands of mourners.

At the commemoration, speakers praised Mladic's role in the 1990s wars in Bosnia and Croatia, calling him a "towering figure both as a man and a soldier". Mladic was notorious for his brutal actions during the Yugoslav wars, earning him the moniker "Butcher of Bosnia". The UN-backed court convicted him of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where approximately 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed at a UN-protected safe zone.

Some Serbs, particularly in Republika Srpska, still view Mladic as a hero. Retired Bosnian Serb general Zivomir Ninkovic told the ceremony, "Thank you (Ratko Mladic) for the existence of Republika Srpska. For if we didn't have Ratko Mladic, the way he was with all his characteristics, we would not have the Republika Srpska." Despite the widespread condemnation of his crimes, Mladic's death was met with vigils and gatherings in Republika Srpska, highlighting the complex emotions surrounding his legacy.