Belgrade – On Saturday, the body of Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian‑Serb army commander convicted of genocide and war crimes, was interred with full military honors at Topčider Cemetery, a ceremony attended by several members of Serbia’s cabinet and other high‑ranking officials.
Ceremony and Attendance
According to local outlet Danas, the casket was removed from the Church of St. Mark the Blessed and escorted in a solemn procession to the cemetery, where it was lowered into a family plot. The march featured a military band and a guard of honour, a protocol normally reserved for national heroes. Among the dignitaries present were Deputy Prime Minister Danilo Vučić and a contingent of ministers, as reported by the same source.
"War criminal Ratko Mladić to receive full military honors in funeral as crowds gather," CNN reported.
International agencies described the turnout as ranging from several thousand to over ten thousand participants, reflecting both loyalists and curious onlookers. The Financial Times noted the presence of senior officials as a signal of the government’s tacit endorsement, while the Guardian highlighted the stark contrast between the honour given and the tribunal’s verdict that labelled Mladić the “Butcher of Bosnia.”
Domestic Political Reactions
Serbian officials faced immediate backlash from opposition parties and civil‑society groups. In the city of Novi Sad, the municipal assembly opened its session with a minute of silence for Mladić, a move condemned by local opposition members as a political stunt, according to Danas. Simultaneously, protestors set up blockades at several city streets, chanting slogans against the government and accusing it of “glorifying murder,” as reported by Kurir and Informer.
Opposition leaders accused the ruling Serbian Progressive Party of exploiting Mladić’s image to rally nationalist sentiment ahead of upcoming elections. The protests were described by Kurir as “bloody‑faced” and “unrest‑filled,” with demonstrators hurling insults at the state and its leadership. Government spokespeople, however, defended the funeral as a “private family matter,” a stance echoed by the New York Times which noted the administration’s reluctance to comment on the ceremony’s political implications.
International Criticism
Foreign governments and human‑rights organisations reacted sharply. The Reuters live blog recorded statements from the European Union urging Serbia to “respect the rulings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.” The United States, as reported by BBC (cited in the Financial Times), warned that the ceremony could jeopardise Serbia’s EU accession talks.
Human‑rights groups described the funeral as a “dangerous revisionist act” that could embolden extremist narratives. The Independent argued that the state’s allowance of a “hero’s funeral” for a convicted war criminal set a troubling precedent for reconciliation efforts in the Balkans.
While the ceremony concluded without incident, the episode has intensified a broader societal debate about how Serbia confronts its wartime legacy. Analysts cited by Balkan Insight suggest that the public display may deepen divisions between nationalist constituencies and those advocating for accountability and European integration. The government’s participation, juxtaposed with street protests and parliamentary silence, underscores a fragile political equilibrium that could shape Serbia’s domestic and foreign policy trajectory in the months ahead.
