Serbia Gives Military Honors To ‘Butcher Of Balkans’ Mladić Despite EU Warnings

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BELGRADE (Worthy News) – Former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladić, who became known as the “Butcher of the Balkans” for his role in mass killings and other atrocities, was buried with military honors in Serbia’s capital Monday despite warnings from the European Union against glorifying convicted war criminals.

Mladić, who died August 27 at age 84 in The Hague while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Bosnia-Herzegovina’s 1992-1995 war, was mourned by thousands of people in Belgrade.

Many applauded and chanted Mladić’s name as soldiers carried his coffin, while a military orchestra played. His officer’s cap, saber and medals were displayed during ceremonies surrounding the burial.

The funeral underscored how Mladić, despite his convictions by a United Nations-backed tribunal, continues to be revered as a hero by many Serbs and Bosnian Serbs. They view him as a defender of their people during the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia.

EU CONDEMNATION

The controversy prompted EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos to cancel a planned visit to Serbia, an official candidate for membership in the 27-nation bloc.

Kos said the glorification surrounding Mladić’s death was “incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built,” stressing that Serbia’s path toward membership requires confronting the past, genuine reconciliation and respect for victims of war crimes.

The European Union reinforced that warning Monday, saying that “any glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and revisionism” contradicts fundamental European values and has no place in the EU or candidate countries.

Yet several serving Serbian government ministers attended the funeral despite earlier indications that serving officials would stay away. They included Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić, Justice Minister Nenad Vujić, Culture Minister Nikola Selaković and Public Investment Minister Darko Glišić.

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko also attended, along with senior representatives of Bosnia’s Serb-majority Republika Srpska entity.

CHURCH TRIBUTE

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend. However, his son Danilo was among those present. Vučić described the public reaction to Mladić’s death as an “emotional outpouring” and rejected criticism that his government was responsible for it.

Before his burial, Mladić’s body lay at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke, where thousands waited to pay their respects. Some supporters carried his image, while veterans of his former Bosnian Serb Army attended.

Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije presided over the funeral service as Mladić’s flag-draped coffin was carried to the cemetery by Serbian soldiers.

The public displays reflected the reverence for Mladić that remains among many Serbs despite his convictions. Since his death, nationalist admirers have held vigils, painted murals depicting him in Belgrade and lit flares in his honor.

At a soccer match in Belgrade on Sunday evening, supporters displayed a huge portrait of Mladić and chanted his name.

SREBRENICA GENOCIDE

Mladić took command of the Bosnian Serb Army in 1992 and led forces that seized large areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war.

In 2017, the U.N.-backed International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted him of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

He was convicted for his role in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces overran the United Nations-designated enclave.

Mladić was also convicted over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, during which about 10,000 people were killed. The wider Bosnian War killed more than 100,000 people and forced more than 1 million from their homes.

For survivors and relatives of victims, the scenes in Belgrade reopened wounds from the conflict.

VICTIMS OUTRAGED

The Mothers of Srebrenica association, representing relatives of those killed in the massacre, condemned the public glorification of Mladić and urged the European Union to respond.

The group said the funeral threatened to become a major gathering celebrating a convicted war criminal, declaring that glorification of genocide was a source of shame rather than honor.

The funeral also deepened already strained relations between Serbia and neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković said Bosnia would withdraw all staff from its embassy in Belgrade except the ambassador and consul in protest over Serbia’s handling of the funeral, including the military escort and attendance of government officials.

“If I could, I would sever diplomatic relations with Serbia today,” Konaković said, adding that he would seek to reduce relations “to the absolute minimum.”

EU MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS

Serbia has faced repeated criticism over its treatment of convicted wartime figures and its refusal to describe the Srebrenica killings as genocide, despite international court rulings establishing that genocide occurred there.

The controversy comes as Serbia continues its long-running effort to join the European Union, with Brussels stressing that reconciliation and good-neighborly relations remain central to the membership process.

For many Serbs and Bosnian Serbs, however, the international judgments against Mladić have not erased his status as a wartime hero.

His funeral showed that more than three decades after the Bosnian War, Mladić’s legacy continues to divide the Balkans and complicate Serbia’s relationship with Brussels.