Serbian, Bosnian Serb Officials Join Hundreds at Ratko Mladic Commemoration

Although it’s already 12.10 p.m. on Saturday and the commemoration for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic was scheduled to start ten minutes ago, several dozen people are still queueing in front of the Serbian Army House in Belgrade city centre.One of the last people to join the queue is a middle-aged man, originally from Republika Srpska, whose army Mladic led during the period when the wartime general committed his crimes.People standing in line to enter the commemoration. Photo: Katarina Baletic/BIRN The man, who preferred to withhold his name, now lives in the Serbian capital. He decided to come along and pay tribute to Mladic, who he considers a “hero who defended his country” and who, in his view, Serbia “betrayed” when it extradited him to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague in 2011. A large number of people with similar views, mostly men, gathered in front of the Army House before the commemoration began. Some of them were wearing T-shirts depicting Ratko Mladic, with messages expressing support for him. Three men wearing identical T-shirts stood together and posed for journalists’ photos. As well as an image of Mladic, the shirts bear the phrases often used as a message of support for him: “General, are you afraid of anyone? ‘I fear no one but God.’” Three men standing in front of the Army House, with the message “General, are you afraid of anyone? ‘I fear no one but God’” on their T-shirts. Photo: Katarina Baletic/BIRN Around half an hour before noon, Ratko Mladic’s son, Darko, arrives with the wartime general’s widow, Bosiljka. A few minutes later, Republika Srpska President Sinisa Karan arrives, and after him, Serbian Minister of Justice Nenad Vujic.Bosiljka Mladic (L), widow of former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, their son Darko Mladic (C), and President of Republika Srpska Sinisa Karan (R) arrive for the commemoration. Photo: EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC Several men wearing shirts with the words ‘Association of Guards – First Guards Motorised Brigade of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska’ on the back enter the building together. The Army of Republika Srpska was officially dissolved and integrated into Bosnia and Herzegovina’s unified state army back in 2006, by which time Mladic was a man on the run, in hiding from the Hague prosecution. A bit later, a bus from Republika Srpska’s main city Banja Luka arrives in front of Army House’s entrance, and a larger group of older men get off. Supporters pose next to a portrait of Ratko Mladic during the commemoration. Photo: EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC A man who gives his name as Ratko and his age as 55 says he arrived as early as 10.30 a.m. to pay tribute to Mladic, whom he considers a “hero who had to defend Serbdom”. It’s a sunny and hot day in the Serbian capital, and the Serbian Army House is located next to the bustling heart of the city, Knez Mihailova Street and Republic Square, an area full of shops and cafés. Although there is a crowd in front of the Serbian Army House, just a few hundred metres away, life goes on as if nothing is happening. Men wearing shirts with the words ‘Association of Guards – First Guards Motorised Brigade of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska’ on the back outside the Army Hall. Photo: Katarina Baletic/BIRN Two hours before the commemoration, BIRN received an answer from the Club of Generals and Admirals saying that it was not possible to attend the commemoration due to limited capacity. After his death on August 27 at the UN Detention Centre in the Netherlands, Mladic’s body was transported on a government plane to Belgrade on Thursday, where it was met by Minister of Justice Vujic and an army honour guard. The coffin was draped in the Serbian flag. A motorcade then carried the coffin into Belgrade. Groups of supporters of the former Bosnian Serb military chief watched it from overpasses, where they had hung banners with messages such as “Thank you, General” and “Welcome home, General”. He will be buried in Belgrade on Monday. Serbian Minister of Justice Nenad Vujic enters the Army House for Ratko Mladic’s commemoration. Photo: Katarina Baletic/BIRN The reception in Belgrade for the deceased war criminal has sparked strong criticism from officials of EU member states. Serbia is an EU candidate country and several European ministers have warned that praising a genocide convict is not in line with the bloc’s values. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also cancelled a planned visit to Belgrade because of the “glorification surrounding Mladic’s death”. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed Kos’s criticism as “stupid”.