The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls on the European Union to unequivocally urge the Serbian government to refrain from bestowing state and military honors on Ratko Mladić. The former Bosnian Serb army chief, who was sentenced to life in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, is scheduled to be buried in Belgrade on September 7. The STP has therefore issued an appeal to leading EU representatives, including EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and EU Council President António Costa.
The STP criticizes that even the transfer of Mladić’s remains to Belgrade crossed the line between a private funeral and a state-sponsored tribute. On September 3, his coffin was flown from the Netherlands to Belgrade on a Serbian government aircraft. Serbian Minister of Justice Nenad Vujić was also on board. After landing, the coffin—draped in the Serbian flag—was received with a military ceremony and subsequently taken to the Military Medical Academy.
“The transport in a government plane, the participation of the Serbian Minister of Justice, and the military reception of the coffin send a disastrous signal to the victims and survivors. A war criminal convicted of genocide must not be posthumously rehabilitated through state ceremonies and elevated to the status of a national role model,” criticizes Belma Zulčić, director of the STP section in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She adds that Mladić’s family’s right to a private funeral is beyond question. However, a state tribute is not a private act of mourning, but rather a political and institutional tribute.
The Serbian Minister of Justice had previously announced that Mladić was to be buried with the highest state and military honors. Whether this will in fact be carried out in full on September 7 has not yet been officially confirmed. The STP therefore calls for a clear response from European governments and institutions prior to the funeral.
In its appeal, the organization also calls on the EU to make the recognition of final international judgments and the handling of Mladić’s funeral a concrete criterion in Serbia’s EU accession process. The denial, trivialization, and glorification of the most serious war crimes contradict the fundamental values of the European Union.
At the same time, Europe must support human rights organizations, survivors’ associations, journalists, scholars, and civil society initiatives in the region. Returnees and minorities must be protected from nationalist intimidation. The STP also calls for fact-based remembrance and educational efforts to ensure that young people do not grow up with a historical narrative in which legally convicted perpetrators become role models and their victims disappear from the collective memory.
You can reach Belma Zulčić, Director of the STP’s Bosnia and Herzegovina section, at ab.ten.hib@as_vbfg or (+387) 61 220 883 or (+387) 33 213 707.
This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at presse@gfbv.de.