Thousands gather in Belgrade to pay respects to Ratko Mladic
Thousands gathered outside a Belgrade church before the burial of former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who died while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Belgrade, Serbia. Thousands of people gathered outside a church in Belgrade on Monday to pay respects to former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mladic was scheduled to be buried hours after the gathering, with supporters arriving carrying Serbian flags and photographs of him wearing a traditional Serbian military cap.
Church gathering
People began arriving at the church early on Monday to light candles. Free bus services were offered from Bosnia and towns across Serbia for those wishing to attend.
Mladic’s coffin was displayed inside the church, guarded in turns by six men, mainly war veterans from Serbia and Bosnia. His wife, son and grandchildren received condolences inside.
“Time will tell, time is the best judge who will show what kind of person is who and to whom,” Belgrade resident Jovan Vincic said.
Convictions and legacy
Mladic remains revered by many Serbs in Serbia and Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic despite convictions connected to the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.
His death has revived strong feelings linked to the break-up of Yugoslavia and the ethnic conflicts that followed in the Balkans.
The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found Mladic guilty of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which about 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces overran the United Nations-designated enclave.
He was also convicted over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, during which about 10,000 people were killed.
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