Thousands Attend Funeral of Convicted Bosnian War Leader Ratko Mladić in Belgrade

Belgrade saw thousands gather for the burial of Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb commander who was serving a life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. The funeral took place at the small St Luka church, where his coffin was guarded by war veterans and attended by his family, several Serbian ministers and Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The European Union issued a statement condemning any "glorification" of Mladić, reiterating that denial of genocide and revisionist narratives conflict with core European values. The EU noted that Mladić had been found guilty of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, an atrocity described as the worst in Europe since World War Two.

Serbian officials had initially considered a state funeral, but altered plans after objections from European leaders. Nonetheless, the ceremony featured a procession that included a government-chartered plane, free bus services from across Serbia and Bosnia, and a choir playing outside the church.

Public reaction was mixed. While many Serbian nationalists treated Mladić as a heroic figure, survivors of the Bosnian war expressed outrage. One Sarajevo resident, whose nine-year-old son was killed during the siege of the city, called the funeral "horrible" and said Mladić should be remembered only as a butcher.

The event highlights ongoing tensions between Serbia’s EU accession aspirations and domestic narratives that continue to honor individuals convicted of war crimes.