Thousands Congregate in Belgrade to Bid Farewell to Late ICTY Convict Gen. Ratko Mladic

Photo: SPC/LC

In the morning of Sept. 7, thousands of people gathered in front of Belgrade’s Church of St. Luke to pay their respects to the recently passed former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska General Ratko Mladic, who was serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide and war crimes committed during the Bosnian-Herzegovinian civil war.

People queued to enter the church displaying Mladic’s casket, while the surrounding streets were closed to traffic and numerous buses were parked in the area, their license plates from Serbia, Republika Srpska and Montenegro.

Mladic will be buried in the Topcider Cemetery next to his late daughter.

While Serbia officially accepts the rulings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which sentenced Mladic, the late general’s remains were transported by a Serbian government aircraft and delivered by members of the Army of Serbia. A memorial for Mladic was also held at the Serbian Army Center in downtown Belgrade, while some reports indicate the general will be buried with the highest military and state honors.

Pro-regime media have been paying notable attention to Mladic’s funeral, including providing coverage of all related events.