Thousands turn out in Serbia for funeral of ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladić
Thousands of people turned out in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, to attend the funeral of the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić. Widely known as the Butcher of Bosnia, Mladić died at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in the UN prison in The Hague, the Netherlands. He was found guilty of genocide by [...] The post Thousands turn out in Serbia for funeral of ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko…
Thousands gathered in Belgrade, Serbia's capital, for the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić. Mladić, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," died at 84 while serving a life sentence in a UN prison in The Hague, Netherlands. He was found guilty of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which around 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed, described as Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two.
Initially, a state funeral was planned for Mladić, but it was canceled due to objections from some European leaders. The European Union denounced Mladić's "glorification," stating that any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial, and revisionism contradict fundamental European values. Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, has recently seen stalled membership talks.
Mladić commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1990s Bosnian War, committing "ethnic cleansing" and besieging Sarajevo, leading to over 10,000 deaths. Despite his conviction, Mladić is seen by many Serbs as a heroic defender of the nation. Serbian government ministers, including Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić and Minister of Justice Nenad Vujić, attended the funeral.
Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church led the service, stating that Mladić’s name would remain deeply etched in the memory and prayers of Serbian Orthodox people. Long queues formed outside the St Luka church where Mladić lay in state, with many attendees being army veterans and some draped in flags with his picture.
Inside the church, Mladić’s coffin was guarded by war veterans, his family, and received condolences. His coffin was flown back to Serbia on a government plane and carried by soldiers draped in flags. Free bus services were organized for those wanting to pay their respects. Some saw the funeral as a rekindling of painful war memories, while others viewed Mladić as a national figure of pride and defiance.
Serbian media and education have been criticized for not reflecting the true scale of Mladić's crimes or the perspectives of victims and survivors.
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