Serbia honours Ratko Mladic in Belgrade despite sharp EU warnings

Belgrade,UPDATED: Sep 7, 2026 15:28 IST

Serbia on Monday paid public homage to Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime commander who died while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, despite warnings from the European Union. Thousands of mourners gathered in Belgrade as his body lay in state at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St Luke.

The funeral arrangements have drawn strong criticism from the EU and other European officials, as well as regional leaders and relatives of victims of the Bosnian war. Mladic, who died aged 84 on August 27 in The Hague, Netherlands, remains a hero to many Serbs even though he was convicted in the first genocide case in Europe since World War II.

Mladic's military officer's cap and sabre were placed on his coffin, which was flanked by men in fatigues. Pro-government media in Serbia reported that he would receive full military honours and that the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, would lead the funeral service.

Mourners arrived early at the church to pay their respects. Milan Dobric, who travelled from Kosovo for the funeral, said Mladic "was a man who gave everything in his life for the Serbian people". He added, "I am glad that this morning people are coming to pay special respect."

Though the funeral was formally organised by Mladic's family, the Serbian government sent a plane last week to bring his remains to Belgrade, and soldiers carried his coffin wrapped in the national flag. A military commemoration was also held on Saturday at an official Serbian army venue.

Serbia, which is seeking membership of the European Union, has faced sharp criticism for honouring Mladic after his death. Marta Kos, the bloc's enlargement commissioner, cancelled an upcoming visit to Serbia in protest, saying that "the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built."

Other European officials also criticised the tribute, along with regional leaders and relatives of Mladic's victims from the war in Bosnia. The 1992-95 conflict left more than 100,000 people dead and more than 1 million homeless before ending with a US-brokered peace agreement in 1995.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a former extreme nationalist who supported Serbia's expansionist policies during the war, rejected the EU criticism and accused Kos of "lying". Vucic is not attending the funeral, but he has stepped up anti-Western rhetoric ahead of a high-stakes early parliamentary election expected next month.

Mladic was sentenced in 2017 for orchestrating the 1995 massacre of more than 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica, the years-long siege of Sarajevo, and other war crimes, including the setting up of concentration camps for detained non-Serb civilians and enemy soldiers. Srebrenica, a UN-declared safe haven for Bosniaks, was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces, who forced men and boys to strip, killed them and pushed their bodies into mass graves.

Serbia, which backed Bosnian Serb forces during the war, has remained defiant about its wartime role and has accused the West of anti-Serb bias. Since Mladic's death, nationalist supporters have held vigils, painted murals of him in Belgrade and lit flares in his honour.

Belgrade has also refused to recognise that genocide was committed in Srebrenica, describing the massacre as a "horrific crime" instead. Last year, Serbia buried another convicted war criminal, former army chief of staff Nebojsa Pavkovic, with full military honours at a cemetery for distinguished individuals.

Serbia's bid to join the European Union has also stalled over democratic backsliding and Vucic's refusal to join international sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. Monday's funeral for Mladic underlined both the continuing divisions over the Bosnian war and the pressure Serbia faces over its European path.

With PTI Inputs

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