Serbia buried the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade with full military honours. Thousands attended, and Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, led the service. The coffin was wrapped in the Serbian flag; President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend, while his son Danilo did. European Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled her Belgrade visit, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against actions that glorify convicted war criminals.
Serbia buried the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade with full military honours. Thousands attended, and Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, led the service. The European Union had warned against glorifying Mladic and said any glorification of war criminals has no place in the EU or in EU candidate countries.[1], [2]
The coffin was wrapped in the Serbian flag and lay at the church of St Luke near the cemetery before the burial. Early in the day, people queued outside the small St Luka church to pay their respects to the coffin. Serbian opposition figures, officials from Republika Srpska, pro-Serbian politicians from Montenegro and Russia's ambassador Alexandar Botsan-Kharchenko attended the ceremony at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade. President Aleksandar Vucic, who backed what he called a dignified funeral, did not attend; his son Danilo did.[1], [2]
European Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled her Belgrade visit, saying the glorification was incompatible with the values the EU path is built on. Serbia has been a candidate to join the EU since 2012, even though membership talks have recently stalled. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned against actions that glorify convicted war criminals.[1], [2]
