Ratko Mladić, Convicted of Genocide, Receives Official Military Commemoration in Belgrade

A military memorial service for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić was held in Belgrade on Saturday. Mladić, known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia' for his role in the wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia, died last week at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague. His remains were returned to Serbia on Thursday via a government plane with military honors. The Saturday ceremony, organized by an association of retired generals and soldiers, was attended by approximately 300 people, including Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujić and officials from Republika Srpska. Speakers at the event praised Mladić's role in the 1990s wars. A funeral is scheduled for Monday in Belgrade. Mladić was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo; the verdict was upheld on appeal in 2021. The official nature of the commemorations has drawn condemnation from officials in Bosnia, Kosovo, and international bodies. Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, cancelled a planned visit to Serbia in protest of the 'glorification' of Mladić, a move Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed as 'absurd'.