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Thousands turn out in Serbia for funeral of 'Butcher of Bosnia' Ratko Mladić
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Thousands gathered in Belgrade for the funeral of Ratko Mladić, the convicted war criminal known as the Butcher of Bosnia, who died at 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes during the 1990s Bosnian war.
- Mladić was found guilty by a UN tribunal for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two, where around 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed.
- Despite initial plans for a state funeral being canceled due to European objections, many Serbs, including government ministers and war veterans, attended the funeral, viewing Mladić as a national hero and defender.
- The European Union condemned the glorification of Mladić, stating that honoring war criminals contradicts fundamental European values, especially as Serbia continues stalled EU membership talks.
- The funeral sparked mixed reactions, with some Serbs expressing pride and defiance, while survivors and victims' families recalled the painful legacy of Mladić's crimes and criticized the lack of acknowledgment of the atrocities in Serbian media and education.
