The European Union criticized the glorification of war criminals after thousands of people watched the funeral of Ratko Mladić, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia." The reaction comes following images of the former Serbian-Bosnian military commander's funeral.
Ratko Mladić died on August 27 in the detention center's hospital in The Hague, in the Netherlands, where he was serving a life sentence for genocide. He was 84 years old. The former military commander was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mladić was buried this Monday, September 7, in Belgrade, capital of Serbia. Serbian authorities allowed a state funeral with military honors, which provoked international outrage and criticism from neighboring countries and human rights organizations.
Serbia, although not an EU member, is a candidate for accession to the European bloc. The episode complicates relations between Belgrade and Brussels, at a time when Serbia's European integration process continues to advance slowly.
