Thousands turn out in Serbia for funeral of 'Butcher of Bosnia' Ratko Mladić
Summary
Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, to attend the funeral of Ratko Mladić, a Bosnian Serb military leader convicted of war crimes and genocide. Mladić died at age 84 while serving a life sentence for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war.Key Facts
- Ratko Mladić was convicted for genocide and war crimes by a UN tribunal related to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, where around 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed.
- He was sentenced to life in prison in 2021 after a nine-year trial and died in prison at age 84.
- Thousands attended his funeral in Belgrade, including Serbian government ministers and war veterans.
- Mladić is considered a war criminal internationally but is viewed by many Serbs as a national hero.
- The Serbian Orthodox Church led the funeral service, with its leader saying Mladić's name will be remembered by many Serbs.
- The EU criticized the public honors given to Mladić, calling glorification of war criminals unacceptable in Europe.
- Mladić commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, overseeing actions described as ethnic cleansing.
- Serbia is a candidate to join the EU, but its accession talks have stalled, partly due to issues like this event.
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