“Serbia glorified Mladić” – Kearns and 60 European lawmakers condemn honors for the convicted criminal

Sixty lawmakers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), from 23 member states and four political groups, have condemned the state glorification of the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, Ratko Mladić, sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The declaration was initiated by British MP Alicia Kearns and was published on September 30, 2026.

In the declaration, the 60 lawmakers say they stand united in condemning what they describe as the glorification of Mladić by the Serbian state.

“By honoring Mladić, the Serbian state, through denial and glorification, undertook a calculated attack on those who survived from the ashes of war,” Kearns wrote.

The British MP emphasizes that the declaration is supported by representatives of 23 countries and four political groups in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In the document, the signatories condemn any attempt to deny or glorify the crimes for which Mladić was convicted, including the genocide in Srebrenica, the siege of Sarajevo, the ethnic cleansing in Foča, Vlasenica and Prijedor, the concentration camps for Bosniak and Croat prisoners, mass sexual violence and the taking hostage of United Nations personnel.

They also call for the men, women and children killed, wounded or displaced by the forces under Mladić’s command to be remembered.

The declaration also criticizes the involvement of Serbian state institutions in the ceremonies after Mladić’s death, mentioning the use of the state flag, the participation of military structures and the presence of state officials.

“Private mourning is the right of every family. State honors are not,” the lawmakers’ declaration says.

According to them, official honors for a person convicted of genocide send the survivors the message that the crimes committed against them can be presented as a source of national pride.

“Such denial is a deliberate and calculated attack on the survivors, a continuation of the crimes themselves. What begins with violence continues through the falsification of history,” it says further.

Mladić died at the end of August 2026, while his body was returned to Serbia from The Hague. The funeral in Belgrade on September 7 was accompanied by the participation of thousands of people, while there was also a presence of Serbian officials and elements of state ceremony.

The United Nations has also reacted to the glorification of Mladić. The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Chaloka Beyani, has said that the public commemoration of Mladić, including the participation of political figures and official ceremonial elements, is “deeply inappropriate” and relativizes the grave crimes defined by international law.

Ratko Mladić was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence was upheld on appeal in 2021, as Telegrafi reports.