Thousands gather in Belgrade to honor Ratko Mladic before burial without state honors

Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade on Monday to pay their respects to former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic before his burial, which took place without formal state or military honors.

Supporters carrying Serbian flags and photographs of Mladic gathered outside the Church of St. Luke, where his coffin was displayed ahead of the funeral service. He was later buried beside his daughter at a nearby cemetery.

Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 war that broke up Yugoslavia. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted him of genocide for targeting Bosnian Muslims, Croats and other groups.

Mladic died in The Hague on August 27 at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence.

His remains were returned to Serbia last week on a government plane. Serbian soldiers carried the coffin from the aircraft, which was then escorted through Belgrade. A separate commemoration was held on Saturday at the House of the Serbian Army.

Despite the convictions, Mladic has remained a respected figure among some Serbs, who view him as a wartime defender of the Bosnian Serb population. Many also share longstanding complaints that international courts have treated crimes against Serbs differently from those committed by Serb forces during the Yugoslav wars.

Public tributes to Mladic have also spread to football stadiums. The normally fierce rivalry between Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) and Partizan Belgrade was set aside at the Serbian capital’s derby over the weekend as both sets of fans chanted Mladic’s name, before a giant tifo bearing his image was unveiled. Crvena Zvezda fans also chanted in Mladic’s honor during a Europa League match last month, prompting UEFA to fine the club €90,000 ($105,000). Bosnia’s FK Borac Banjaluka was also fined €39,500 over similar chants and other fan offenses.

Justice Minister Nenad Vujic had initially suggested that Mladic would receive state honors, however, the final funeral arrangements included no artillery salute, ceremonial military presence, or attendance by senior Serbian officials.

The commemorations have nevertheless prompted strong criticism from Brussels. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a planned visit to Serbia, saying the “glorification” surrounding Mladic’s death was “incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built.” She also warned that Belgrade’s handling of the funeral could affect Serbia’s membership bid.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected the criticism, arguing that Brussels had failed to identify any concrete act of “glorification” by the Serbian authorities, and called Kos’ statement “stupid, as usual.”

“I suppose we should ban people from showing up, ban the funeral,” he said.

Vucic had earlier said Serbia would help Mladic’s family arrange a “dignified” burial and criticized The Hague for refusing repeated Serbian requests to allow the former general to return home as his health deteriorated.

The president did not attend Monday’s funeral, citing a previously scheduled visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.