Thousands mourn Ratko Mladic in Belgrade funeral

Thousands of mourners gathered Monday at St. Mark's Church in Belgrade to view the body of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb warlord who died on August 27 in The Hague after serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The funeral drew an estimated 10,000 people, many of them veterans, politicians and ordinary citizens who had followed Mladic’s trial for years. The service lasted about an hour, after which the coffin was carried to a burial site in a Serbian cemetery.

Mladic was the commander of the Bosnian Serb Army during the 1992‑1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was convicted in 2017 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for the Srebrenica massacre, the siege of Sarajevo and other atrocities. His death has reignited debate in Serbia about how the country deals with its wartime past. While the Serbian government maintains that Mladic was a national hero, the European Union and many international observers view him as a symbol of ethnic violence that undermined the region’s post‑war reconciliation. The large turnout in Belgrade reflects the deep divisions in Serbian society over the legacy of the war and the country’s path toward European integration.

The European Union condemned the funeral and its large attendance as a “political statement that undermines the rule of law.” Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, cancelled her planned visit to Serbia in protest, citing the event as evidence that the country had not yet resolved its wartime legacy. Serbian officials denied that the state endorsed the gathering, saying the funeral was organized by private groups. Nonetheless, the event has strained diplomatic ties, with the EU warning that Serbia’s accession talks could be stalled if the country continues to celebrate figures linked to war crimes.

Looking ahead, the funeral could influence Serbia’s next steps toward EU membership. The European Commission has already signalled that Serbia must take concrete measures to address wartime crimes and improve judicial independence. The large turnout may push the Serbian parliament to debate tougher laws on war crimes and historical memory. Meanwhile, activists in Belgrade and Sarajevo are calling for a joint memorial that acknowledges the victims of the war. The EU will likely continue to monitor the situation closely, and any further public displays of support for Mladic could delay Serbia’s path to integration.