Serbia

Ratko Mladić's Funeral Held in Belgrade Amid EU Condemnation

Is a state funeral for Ratko Mladic an insult to his victims or proof that The Hague delivered selective justice against Serbs?

13 hours ago·Updated 3 hours ago

Ratko Mladić's Funeral Held in Belgrade Amid EU Condemnation

Story

Above: People gathered on the day of the funeral for Ratko Mladic in Belgrade, Serbia on Sept. 7. Image credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Ratko Mladić was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for the slaughter of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo. Handing that man a state funeral with military honors, a flag-draped coffin and soldiers as pallbearers is an insult to every victim. A country that glorifies a convicted war criminal has no business asking to join the EU.

Independent Politico

Establishment-critical narrative

The EU wants Serbia to "confront the past," but its own past is selective. NATO bombed Serbia without U.N. authorization in 1999 and faced no tribunal of its own. Kosovo's independence violated the same U.N. resolution guaranteeing Serbia's territorial integrity. A grieving crowd at a funeral isn't what threatens Serbia's EU path — Brussels' willingness to judge only one side's history is.

Global Times

History and Public Policy Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on Wilson Center TASS