Serbia Buries Convicted War Criminal Mladic With Military Honors

Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military commander who died while serving a life sentence for war crimes, was laid to rest on Monday in Belgrade. The funeral drew thousands of mourners and was conducted with full military honors, despite warnings from the European Union against public displays of homage.

Mladic, who died on August 27 at the age of 84 in The Hague, was convicted in 2017 for orchestrating the massacre of over 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, the siege of Sarajevo, and other atrocities including the establishment of concentration camps for non-Serb civilians.

The ceremony took place at the Church of St. Luke, where his body had lain in state. His military cap and saber rested on the flag-draped coffin, flanked by soldiers in fatigues. Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, led the funeral service. Serbian army soldiers carried the coffin to the cemetery as mourners clapped and a military orchestra played.

Mladic remains a hero to many Serbs. His son, Darko, was seen carrying a cross and a framed photograph, and later placed a military hat on the coffin inside the van that transported the body. Crowds lined the streets, some with sad faces, as the procession passed.

Since Mladic's death, nationalist admirers have held vigils, painted murals, and lit flares in his honor. On Sunday evening, soccer fans displayed a large image of him at a match in Belgrade. Pro-government media broadcast the funeral live.