The EU’s Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, announced that she cancelled an impending visit to Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, due to concerns regarding the “glorification” of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladić following his death. Although Mladić was convicted of genocide by a United Nations court, he is regarded as a hero by many in Serbia.
Mladić’s remains were repatriated to Belgrade on a Serbian government flight from The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday, one week after his passing. His burial is scheduled to take place in a Belgrade cemetery in the coming days.
In 2017, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for orchestrating the massacre of more than 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, as well as for conducting a prolonged siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, during the 1992-1995 conflict. His actions also included the establishment of concentration camps for detained non-Serb civilians and enemy combatants.
Upon arrival in Belgrade, Mladić’s coffin, draped in the national flag, was respectfully carried by Serbian soldiers to a van for transport to a military hospital. Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic was present on the flight, accompanied by Mladić’s family members. As the convoy made its way through the city, supporters lit flares to pay their respects.
Kos said on X that “the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built.”
“Ratko Mladić was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,“ Kos said. “The return of his remains to Belgrade reminds Europe of the darkest pages in our recent history.”
Regional N1 television in Belgrade reported that Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić characterised Kos’s explanation as “very short but lacking substance.“ Vučić expressed concern that Kos did not clarify “who glorified anything,“ and suggested that it may be necessary to consider restrictions on attendance at the upcoming funeral.
Earlier on Friday, Kos indicated that the days ahead would present “a significant test” for Serbia regarding the burial, which is expected to attract a substantial number of attendees.
Full state honours for a war criminal
Darko Mladić, the son of Ratko Mladić, announced a military commemoration on Saturday. His coffin will be displayed in a Belgrade church on Monday morning for the public to pay their respects before his funeral and burial later that day. Vujic stated that Mladić would receive full state honours, prompting outrage in the Balkans, where ethnic tensions linger after the 1992-1995 Bosnian War that killed over 100,000 people. Last year, Serbia also buried another convicted war criminal, Nebojša Pavković, with full military honours.
While Serbia seeks EU membership, it remains defiant about its wartime actions, often accusing the West of anti-Serb bias. Following Mladić’s death, many Serbs held vigils in his honour, and a large turnout is expected at the funeral.
Regarding the funeral, Vučić announced that Ratko Mladić’s family made the arrangements. “I have spoken to the Mladić family, and I hope everything proceeds in a dignified manner,” he said.
European officials condemn Mladić glorification
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, on Friday urged authorities in Serbia and in the Serb-run entity of Bosnia to “counter the glorification of convicted war criminals,“ which is illegal in Bosnia and “is not protected speech under the European Convention on Human Rights.”
“I abhor the public glorification of Ratko Mladić, a deceased war criminal convicted for the Srebrenica genocide and crimes against humanity,” O’Flaherty stated.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, strongly opposed granting funeral honours to Ratko Mladić, calling it “shameful and disrespectful to the victims.“ He emphasised his condemnation of this act in a message to his Serbian counterpart responsible for European affairs.
Calls are growing for the European People’s Party (EPP)—Europe’s largest political bloc—to reevaluate its ties with President Aleksandar Vučić’s national populist Serbian Progressive Party. Both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola are members of the EPP.
Vladimir Prebilič, a Slovenian member of the European Parliament, urged the EPP to stop providing a supportive environment for Vučić’s party, which he accused of “openly celebrating convicted war criminals.”
Serbia’s bid to join the European Union has stalled due to concerns over democratic backsliding and Vučić’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The Srebrenica massacre was the first genocide officially recognised in Europe after World War II, where Serb forces overran a U.N. “safe haven,“ executing men and boys and burying their bodies in mass graves.
Mladić was a notorious figure in the Bosnian War, which caused over 100,000 deaths and left more than 1 million homeless before ending in 1995 with a US-brokered peace agreement.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
