World · World News Bureau
Thousands attend funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Serbia
Ratko Mladić, the military commander convicted of genocide during the 1990s Bosnian conflict, was laid to rest as thousands gathered for his funeral in Serbia. European Union officials had warned against any glorification of the convicted war criminal ahead of the ceremony.
LSN World News ·
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Ratko Mladić in Serbia on Wednesday, marking a significant public showing for the military figure convicted of orchestrating some of Europe's worst atrocities in recent decades.
Mladić was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the Srebrenica massacre and other crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found him guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that claimed tens of thousands of lives throughout the conflict.
Ahead of the funeral, the European Union issued a statement cautioning Serbian authorities against any ceremony that could be construed as glorifying or rehabilitating Mladić's legacy. The warning reflected broader concerns about efforts in some quarters to rewrite the historical record of the Balkan conflict.
Mladić's death came while serving his sentence in The Hague. His funeral drew supporters and family members, underscoring the deeply polarized views that continue to persist regarding figures from the Yugoslav wars across the Balkans. The event highlighted ongoing tensions between efforts to reckon with war crimes and competing narratives about the conflict that devastated the region three decades ago.