World · World News Bureau
Convicted war criminal Mladic given military funeral honours in Serbia
The body of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, has been returned to Belgrade where it received a full military guard. The repatriation has reignited tensions over how Serbia commemorates figures from the 1990s Balkan conflicts.
LSN World News ·
Mladic's remains arrived in the Serbian capital on Tuesday, accompanied by military personnel who provided ceremonial honours typically reserved for senior state and military officials. The former general, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), died in prison last year while serving his sentence.
The decision to accord military funeral rites to Mladic has proved controversial, with international observers and regional neighbours expressing concern about the symbolism of such honours being bestowed on a man convicted of orchestrating some of the Balkans' worst atrocities during the 1990s wars.
Mladic was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including his central role in the Srebrenica massacre in which approximately 8,000 Bosniak Muslims were killed. His conviction by the ICTY was considered a significant moment in post-conflict justice for the region.
The repatriation reflects ongoing sensitivities in Serbia and the broader Western Balkans regarding how countries remember and memorialise figures from the recent conflict period. Regional relations remain strained over competing narratives about the wars and accountability for mass atrocities committed during the decade-long conflict.