A funeral has been announced in Serbia Ratko Mladić with military honors. In Republic of Srpska Last night (August 27), memorials and candles were lit in churches "for the repose of the general's soul".
The invitation to mark that evening in such a way came from the Minister of Labor and Veterans and Disability Protection of the Republika Srpska, Radan Ostojić. He called on all demobilized fighters, war invalids, families of fallen fighters and citizens to come out to the squares, to the memorials and to the churches, and to light a candle for General Ratko Mladić, writes Deutsche Welle.
RS officials pay tribute to Mladic
"All of this has brought us back to the days when the Hague Tribunal arrested Serbs wherever they went. If we take into account the years they were sentenced to, and then see members of other nations, we realize how one-sided it was and how great an injustice it was," said the Prime Minister of the RS, Savo Minic, after the memorial service for Mladic in Banja Luka.
The official political reaction in Banja Luka ran parallel to that religious celebration. The President of Republika Srpska, Siniša Karan, said he received the news "with deep sadness". Željka Cvijanović, a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that it was difficult for her to shake the impression that Mladić's death was "the result of extremely inhumane treatment of a seriously ill patient." And she described him as a commander who "in the most difficult period stood at the head of the famous Army of the Republika Srpska, which defended the people and the borders of our Republic."
Photo: AP Photo/Radivoje PavičićReactions to the news of the death of Ratko Mladić
Announcement of criminal charges for glorification
SDP BiH announced that it will submit criminal charges to the BiH Prosecutor's Office against all those who "glorify the criminal Ratko Mladić".
"In the coming days, following public statements, we will file criminal charges against public officials who glorify the criminal Ratko Mladić and dispute, deny, justify or downplay the crimes for which he was convicted, including genocide," the party announced after announcing that they would immediately file criminal charges against Milorad Dodik, Draško Stanivuković and Nenad Stevandić. They invited citizens to do the same.
The Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, emphasized that the verdict remains unchanged, regardless of how anyone perceives it, and the President of the Federal Government and SDP, Nermin Nikšić, emphasized that Mladić's death "does not change the truth, nor diminish the responsibility established by the verdicts", and that he died exactly as he was convicted - as a criminal.
The president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović, said that Ratko Mladić will be remembered as defined by the final judgment of the International Court in The Hague.
"The young man died, but the consequences of his crimes are still alive. They are present in families who are still searching for the remains of their loved ones, in returnees who are still fighting for their rights, in cities and villages that are still recovering from the destruction, but also in attempts to deny genocide, glorify war criminals and relativize historical facts," stated Izetbegović.
The difference within the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the entire country, best shows the depth of the division that still burdens Bosnia and Herzegovina three decades after the war.
Photo: AP Photo/Peter DejongRatko Madić at the Hague Tribunal in 2017.
Burial with the highest state honors
Belgrade, unlike Banja Luka, remained more restrained in the first hours - without strong official statements from the president or the government of Serbia. Interestingly, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, did not announce the death of Ratko Mladić until the publication of this article.
However, the second news resonated stronger than any comment: Mladić will be buried with the highest state and military honors, at the Topčider Cemetery in Belgrade, next to his daughter Ana.
"General Mladic is a general and protocols are known. His role is also known, but what belongs to General Mladic will certainly be respected," said Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic.
Part of the public believes that this will lead to a new round of regional tensions.
New tensions
Within Serbia itself, however, there was no shortage of voices that rejected that narrative. Marinika Tepić, from the Freedom and Justice Party, is one of the few political figures who reacted differently. She said that the generations that did not participate in the crimes of the 1990s should not bear the burden that the name of Serbia has been associated with such names for decades, recalling that Mladić was legally convicted of a series of war crimes.
The Democratic Party announced in a similar tone that "the death of an individual does not change the facts established before international courts, nor can it erase responsibility for the crimes committed."
The Russian Embassy in Serbia expressed its condolences on the death of Ratko Mladić: "On the occasion of the death of General Ratko Mladić, we express our sincere condolences to his family and relatives," stated the message of the Russian Embassy, which posted a black and white photo of Mladić on Instagram.
Photo: Jerry Lampen/Pool via APRatko Mladić in the courtroom of the Hague Tribunal
Harsh reactions from Zagreb
Zagreb spoke with one voice. Defense Minister Ivan Anušić regrets that Mladić was not convicted for crimes committed on Croatian soil, recalling that "he committed the first crimes in the Republic of Croatia" and that he was never held accountable for them.
"This is what confirms the policy of Aleksandar Vučić and what confirms the policy of the 1990s," said Anušić, commenting on the announcement that Mladić could be buried with state and military honors.
The Ministry of Croatian Veterans said that his death "does not erase responsibility" and that for Croatia his departure represents the end of the life of "one of the most responsible for brutal war crimes", reminding that he was never responsible for the massacre in Škabrnja.
"We regret that injustice, which is still felt by the victims' families today. Ratko Mladić is a symbol of the downfall and defeat of the ideology and regime that left behind terrible destruction and thousands of innocent civilians killed," they announced.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his solidarity with the victims, survivors and their families who suffered the crimes for which Mladic was found guilty.
"The Secretary-General reiterates his call to all those in power to refrain from denying the seriousness of the crimes that have been adjudicated," said Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dijarric.
The Human Rights Organization (HRW) also announced: "The death of Ratko Mladic is a reminder of the constant need for justice, truth and reparations in the Western Balkans. Full responsibility for such terrible crimes, in Bosnia and elsewhere, requires the commitment of governments to justice, even decades after the events," said Elizabeth Evenson, director of international justice at HRW.
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