In Serbia, Mladić’s funeral became a nationalist ceremony — YLE News
In Serbia, the funeral of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladić on September 7 turned into a nationalist ceremony. According to YLE News, thousands of people, ministers and the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church took part. Mladić was convicted of genocide in 2017.
During the war in Bosnia in the 1990s, Mladić commanded Bosnian Serb forces. In July 1995, after the capture of Srebrenica, about 8,000 unarmed men and boys were executed. Part of Serbian society considers Mladić a national hero and believes that he was unfairly convicted of war crimes.
Nationalism ahead of elections
University of Helsinki researcher Miro Leporanta links this attitude to nationalism widespread in Serbia and the notion of national victimhood. According to him, not all Serbs share these views, but they remain strong for part of society.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced early elections scheduled for October 25. His Serbian Progressive Party holds 112 of 250 seats in parliament and has been the leading political force since 2012. In Leporanta’s assessment, Vučić’s authorities skillfully use nationalist sentiment to consolidate the electorate.
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Student movement and EU reaction
The student movement intensified after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, when 16 people died. Protest participants oppose corruption and the authorities’ control over the media. According to the source, some polls allow for the movement’s victory in the elections.
Igor Bandović, head of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, said that the approaching elections are intensifying polarization, while nationalism and the denial of war crimes remain a political tool of the authorities. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos canceled her visit to Serbia after Mladić’s funeral, stating that glorifying a convicted war criminal is incompatible with EU values.
Serbia has held EU candidate status since 2012, but the accession process has not advanced in recent years. Among the issues that remain important for the EU are the normalization of relations with Kosovo, democratic reforms and Serbia’s refusal to join sanctions against Russia.
