UN Chief Condemns Mladic Glorification in Meeting with Bosnian Leader

At a meeting at UN headquarters with chair of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency, secretary-general Antonio Guterres says glorification of war criminals is a threat to regional reconciliation and stability. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Photo: EPA/GEORGE CHRISTOPHOROU. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the ongoing glorification of the late convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic during a meeting in New York with Denis Becirovic, chair of Bosnia’s three-member state presidency. The encounter took place at the UN’s New York headquarters to discuss international law, regional stability and Bosnia’s current challenges. Guterres targeted recent revisionist actions and the denial of genocide in Bosnia, describing them as direct violations of international legal and civilisational norms. According to the statement released afterwards, the conversation focused on implementation of the UN General Assembly’s Srebrenica Genocide Resolution, adopted in 2024, and the need to combat historical revisionism in the region. “The UN maintains an unyielding stance against historical revisionism and the glorification of war criminals, which continues to jeopardise reconciliation efforts,” Guterres stated. “International law and civilisational standards must be respected to maintain regional stability.” Becirovic invited Guterres to visit Sarajevo and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre in the future. He emphasised the importance of establishing permanent international outreach educational programmes on the 1995 genocide to prevent future historical revisionism and protect the historical truth established by international courts. Mladic’s funeral in Belgrade on September 7 was attended by ministers and high officials both from Serbia and Bosnia’s Serb-led entity, Republika Srpska and was organised with military honours. EU officials have condemned the government of Serbia – an EU membership candidate state – over the glorification of Mladic, saying it was incompatible with the bloc’s values.