Thousands of people attended the funeral of Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian-Serb military commander, in Belgrade, despite warnings from the European Union. The coffin arrived covered with the Serbian flag and medals, symbolizing the tribute from nationalist sectors in Serbia to the former commander.
Serbian ministers attended the funeral ceremony, although they had previously given assurances that government officials would not be present. The presence of government members contrasts with the expectations created by Serbian authorities.
The European Union reacted to the event stating that glorifying convicted war criminals "has no place in the EU or in candidate countries." This statement reflects the position of European authorities regarding the celebration of figures convicted of war crimes.
Mladić was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnia war (1992-1995), including the Srebrenica massacre. Serbia remains a candidate country for EU accession.
