German MEP Michael Roth has reacted sharply to the way Serbia is handling the return of the body of former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Roth said he never imagined he would see a person convicted of war crimes, whom he called responsible for the Srebrenica genocide, being welcomed and honored in Belgrade.
According to the German MEP, such an approach proves how far Serbia is from reconciliation, which, according to him, the Western Balkans urgently needs.
"Thank you to all Serbs who publicly oppose this disgrace," Roth wrote, expressing support for Serbian citizens who have come out against the glorification of Mladic.
Mladic's body returned to Belgrade on September 3 on a Serbian government plane, the coffin draped in the Serbian flag and greeted by family members, officials and members of the military. The body was then sent for an autopsy at the Military Medical Academy.
The issue has also caused strong reactions in Brussels. European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, canceled a planned visit to Serbia, linking the decision to what she described as the “glorification” of a person convicted of genocide and war crimes. Kos stated that such an approach is incompatible with the values on which Serbia’s European path is based and stressed the need to confront the past, sincere reconciliation and respect for the victims.
Mladic was sentenced to life in prison by the United Nations' judicial mechanism for crimes committed during the Bosnian war, including the Srebrenica genocide. In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
The former Bosnian Serb commander died on August 27 in The Hague, aged 84, while serving a life sentence. A memorial service and funeral have been planned for September 7 in Serbia, and the debate over the tributes being paid to him has sparked strong reactions in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and in European Union institutions.
