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Türkiye condemns Serbia’s official funeral ceremony for Mladić
Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs deemed unacceptable the official funeral ceremony held for Ratko Mladić in Serbia on Tuesday, saying it denied the crimes and human tragedy in Srebrenica. Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said glorifying people convicted of war crimes deepens victims’ suffering and harms peace efforts in the region.
Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the official funeral ceremony held for Ratko Mladić in Serbia. Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said it was unacceptable for the ceremony to reflect an approach that denied the grave crimes in Srebrenica and the humanitarian suffering experienced during the Bosnian War.
Serbia held Mladić’s funeral in an official ceremony attended by senior officials on Monday. The ceremony drew reactions at the regional and international levels.
“Deepens the suffering of victims”
Keçeli said Mladić had been definitively convicted by international courts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He said the ceremony, held despite this record, amounted to a denial of grave crimes.
Keçeli said rejecting international court judgments or attempting to glorify convicted individuals deepened the suffering of victims and their families. He added that this attitude harmed years of peace and reconciliation efforts in the region.
Keçeli said the Balkans needed to draw the necessary lessons from the past and build a shared future defined by peace and prosperity. He commemorated with respect all civilians who lost their lives during the Bosnian War, particularly the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, and expressed solidarity with their families.
The process leading to Mladić’s capture
Born in 1942 in a village in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladić was appointed chief of staff of the Army of Republika Srpska, established in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 1992. He held the position until 1996.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia issued its first indictment against Mladić on July 24, 1995. After the Bosnian War, Mladić fled to Serbia and remained in hiding for approximately 16 years.
While Serbian authorities said they had been unable to locate him, allegations emerged that some individuals and elements within state institutions had protected Mladić for years. Local television programs also broadcast footage showing him meeting people in crowded places, attending events and posing for photographs while he was wanted.
Mladić was captured on May 26, 2011, in the village of Lazarevo near the Serbian city of Zrenjanin, and was sent to The Hague on May 31. His trial began on May 16, 2012; Mladić denied the charges against him.
Mladić was identified as one of the main perpetrators and instigators of the genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995, in which 8,372 Bosniak civilians were killed. Republika Srpska Radio and Television announced at the end of August that Mladić had died at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence in a prison in The Hague.
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