Thousands of mourners gather in Belgrade for war criminal Mladic's funeral
Thousands of mourners on Monday gathered at a church in Belgrade to view the body of Ratko Mladic, who died in The Hague, Netherlands, on August 27 while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The European Union has heavily criticised the event, and Marta Kos, the bloc's enlargement commissioner, cancelled an upcoming…
- Why it matters
- The funeral gathering signals how the former Bosnian Serb military leader retains significant support in Serbia despite his conviction, complicating EU accession efforts the bloc conditions on confronting war crimes history.
- Most affected
- Serbia's EU membership prospects — Complicates alignment with bloc demands to reckon with Balkans war legacy.
Relatives of Mladic's victims — Public mourning of convicted war criminal reopens trauma from genocide convictions. - Likely next
- Whether the Serbian government issues a statement distancing itself from the funeral, or whether EU conditions on membership are formally tied to how it handles such events.