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4w ago

Ratko Mladic Buried in Belgrade With State Honors as Outcry Grows

State-backed honors have triggered EU condemnation, UN and Dutch inquiries, doubts over Serbia's EU path

A man touches the cross as Serbian national military servicemen stand around the coffin of the former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide and other atrocities during the war in Bosnia, at the St. Luka Church, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Serbian national military servicemen stand around the coffin of the former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide and other atrocities during the war in Bosnia, at the St. Luka Church, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
People line up to pay their respects as Serbian war veterans stand around the coffin of the former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide and other atrocities during the war in Bosnia, at the St. Luka Church, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A man touches the cross as Serbian national military servicemen stand around the coffin of the former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide and other atrocities during the war in Bosnia, at the St. Luka Church, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Overview

  • Mladic’s body lay in state and was buried in Belgrade on Monday after his remains were flown to Serbia on a government plane and received with military honors.
  • Soldiers carried the flag-draped coffin into a church where thousands queued to pay respects and supporters displayed banners, flares and nationalist slogans during the procession.
  • Video and eyewitness reports showed some police saluting the convoy and officials from Republika Srpska attending ceremonies, highlighting coordinated state involvement.
  • The European Commission’s enlargement commissioner canceled a planned visit and European and regional leaders publicly condemned the public glorification as incompatible with EU values.
  • UN judges and Dutch authorities have opened inquiries into Mladic’s death in The Hague, and the funeral has deepened divisions over wartime memory and raised fresh questions about Serbia’s EU prospects and regional reconciliation.