Controversial funeral of Ratko Mladić begins in Belgrade

Controversial celebrations for the burial of the late war criminal Ratko Mladić have begun in the Serbian capital Belgrade. A long line of people who wanted to pay their last respects to Mladic formed in front of St. Luke's Church on Monday morning.

In the church, many people kissed his laid-out coffin while Orthodox priests said prayers. In protest against the “glorification” of Mladić in Serbia, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos canceled a visit to the EU candidate country.

The former Bosnian Serb army chief died on August 27 in a hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, where he was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

War criminal is revered as a “hero”.

Mladić's name is inextricably linked to the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, in which Bosnian Serb troops under his command stormed the UN safe zone and murdered around 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Despite his conviction, Mladić continues to be revered as a “hero” by parts of the Serbian population, especially in the Bosnian republic of Republika Srpska. He will be buried with state and military honors. On Saturday, high-ranking politicians took part in a memorial ceremony organized by retired and active generals.