Key facts
- The body of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic lay in state in Belgrade.
- Thousands of mourners gathered for his funeral.
- Mladic was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
- The European Union criticized Serbia for honoring Mladic.
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed the EU's criticism.
Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade to pay respects to former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Mladic remains a revered figure among many Serbs in Serbia and Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic, despite his convictions linked to his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.
People carrying Serbian flags and pictures of Mladic arrived at the church to light candles hours before his scheduled burial. Free bus services were offered from Bosnia and towns in Serbia for mourners. Mladic's coffin was displayed inside the church, guarded by war veterans, while his family received condolences. A Belgrade resident, Jovan Vincic, stated, "Time will tell, time is the best judge who will show what kind of person is who and to whom."
Mladic was found guilty by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which about 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed. He was also convicted over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, during which about 10,000 people were killed.
The EU criticized Serbia's actions, with EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos postponing her visit due to the "glorification" of Mladic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed these statements. The funeral service was scheduled to be conducted by the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox church, after which Mladic will be buried beside his daughter. In Sarajevo, the funeral rekindled painful memories, with Zdravka Gvozdjar, a retired pharmacist whose son was killed during the Sarajevo siege, calling Mladic a "butcher" who should be erased from memory.