A memorial ceremony for Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of war crimes, was held Saturday in Belgrade at the House of the Army, drawing approximately 300 attendees including Serbian government officials and former military personnel.
Mladić died August 27 in The Hague at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian conflict. His remains were transported to Serbia by government aircraft Thursday and received with military honors in Belgrade.
Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic attended the ceremony, along with representatives from the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska, including its president Sinisa Karan. Also present were the interior minister and minister of labor and veterans from Republika Srpska, Zeljko Budimir and Radan Ostojic respectively. Former military officers and comrades spoke at the event, as did Russian historian Elena Guskova. Several hundred people queued outside the building to pay respects.
Mladić was convicted by an international UN tribunal for his role in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed. He was also convicted for the persecution and forced displacement of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, sniper fire and shelling during the siege of Sarajevo, and the taking of UN peacekeepers as hostages in retaliation for NATO bombing in 1995.
The ceremony was organized by an association of Serbian Army generals, both active and retired. A funeral with military and state honors is scheduled for Monday in Belgrade, with thousands of attendees expected.
The memorial and planned funeral have drawn criticism from the European Union and the Council of Europe. Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2012.