Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade early on September 7 to pay their respects to former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, a convicted war criminal whose death and funeral have reignited divisions over Serbia's wartime past and strained ties with the European Union.
Mladic, who died on August 27 aged 84 while serving a life sentence in The Hague, was convicted of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, as well as crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. His convictions were upheld on appeal in 2021.
His coffin was displayed from early morning at the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke in Belgrade's Vidikovac district, where long queues formed as mourners waited to enter. Veterans of the Bosnian Serb army and supporters from Republika Srpska, the Serb entity in Bosnia & Herzegovina, were among those gathered.
Many supporters regard Mladic as a hero who defended Bosnian Serbs during the war. The Serbian Orthodox Church described Mladic as an "Orthodox Christian and Serbian soldier".
Mladic is widely regarded internationally as one of the principal military figures responsible for atrocities during the Bosnian war. He was found guilty of genocide over the killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica, as well as for the siege of Sarajevo and other crimes.
The funeral is due to take place later on September 7 at Belgrade's Topcider Cemetery, where Mladic will be buried beside his daughter Ana, who died in 1994. It will be officiated by Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
President Aleksandar Vucic has said he will not attend, citing a previously scheduled visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Serbian authorities have deployed extensive security measures around the funeral, with officials expecting that tens of thousands could attend.
Divisive legacy
The funeral follows a week of public tributes that have highlighted the deep divisions in Serbia over Mladic's legacy.
At Sunday’s Red Star Belgrade-Partizan Belgrade football derby, supporters of both clubs chanted Mladic's name before the match, while fans displayed a large banner bearing his image and the words "Direction of Potocari" - a reference to the Srebrenica area where thousands of Bosniaks were killed in 1995.
Murals dedicated to Mladic have also appeared in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia since his death.
"This kind of reception and glorification of a war criminal is a great shame for Serbia and the Serbs," journalist Safeta Bisevac told broadcaster N1, saying the events damaged efforts at reconciliation in the region.
EU tensions
Mladic's funeral has also created friction between Serbia and Brussels. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Belgrade, saying the public glorification surrounding Mladic's death was incompatible with the values underpinning Serbia's path towards EU membership.
Vucic dismissed her criticism as "stupid", questioning whether authorities were expected to prevent people from attending a funeral.
Serbia has been an EU candidate since 2012, but its accession process has made limited progress in recent years. The dispute over Mladic adds to existing tensions between Belgrade and Brussels over the rule of law, foreign policy alignment and Serbia's handling of its wartime past.
The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Michael O'Flaherty, has also condemned the public glorification of Mladic and called on Serbian authorities to oppose it.
In Republika Srpska, many Serbs have mourned Mladic as a wartime commander who defended their community, while political figures and victims' groups in the mainly Bosniak-Croat Federation have condemned the tributes.
Mladic's return to Serbia was itself controversial. His remains were flown from the Netherlands on a Serbian government plane on September 3, with his coffin draped in Serbian and Republika Srpska flags and carried by Serbian soldiers. Supporters gathered along the route, some displaying banners calling him a hero.
The government has said it is responsible for ensuring security around the funeral, while Mladic's family has called for a dignified farewell without provocations.
For Serbia, the funeral has brought renewed scrutiny of how the country confronts the legacy of the wars of the 1990s - and whether its political leadership is prepared to distance itself from the nationalist narratives surrounding one of the conflict's most notorious figures.
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