Ratko Mladic buried with military honours in Belgrade as EU condemns glorification
The Bosnian Serb war criminal, convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, has been buried in Serbia with military honours, drawing EU criticism.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, has died at the age of 84. He was serving a life sentence in a United Nations prison in The Hague. His death was confirmed on the day Serbian media reported it, and he was later buried in Belgrade with full military honours, a move that drew sharp criticism from the European Union.
Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. His troops carried out the siege of Sarajevo, where more than 10,000 people died, and the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995, where around 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. He was known as the Butcher of Bosnia. After the war he went on the run for 16 years before being arrested in Serbia in 2011 and extradited to The Hague.
At his trial, Mladic was defiant. He shouted obscenities and was removed from the courtroom. In 2017 he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court described the crimes as among the most heinous known to humankind. His final appeal was rejected in 2021.
His funeral in Belgrade drew thousands of mourners. Serbian soldiers flanked the coffin, which carried his military cap and sabre. The EU said there was no place for glorification of a convicted war criminal in a country that aspires to join the bloc. A government minister and the president's son attended, though it was not an official state funeral. Families of Srebrenica victims expressed anger at the honours, saying the Serbian government was not ready to acknowledge the genocide.
Mladic remained unrepentant to the end. In a Channel 4 News interview while on the run, he denied responsibility. His death and the scenes at his funeral have reopened questions about how Serbia remembers its wartime past.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Mladic evaded capture for over a decade. | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| Mladic's forces killed over 7,000 men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995. | Not reported by ITV | |||
| Ratko Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for genocide and other crimes. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | ||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Mladic was buried with military and state honours. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | ||
| Mladic was denied a release bid in May. | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV |
| Ratko Mladic died at the age of 84, as reported by Serbian media. | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The EU criticised the glorification of Mladic at his funeral. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||
| A person denied responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| A woman whose husband and sons were killed in Srebrenica said Mladic should have suffered longer. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| Mladic refused to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Mladic was known as the Butcher of Bosnia. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Serbia has been in EU membership negotiations for more than a decade. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| Serbia's president described the funeral as an emotional outpouring. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News covered the death as a major international story, with a detailed report from Alan Little on Mladic's crimes and trial. Later coverage focused on the funeral and the EU's condemnation, including analysis from a journalist in Belgrade explaining why Mladic still has supporters in Serbia.
- “The former military leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Ratko Mladic, has died at the age of 84.”
- “The EU says there is no place for glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic in Serbia.”
- “thousands gathered in Belgrade for his funeral.”
BBC One West reported the death as breaking news, using Alan Little's report to summarise Mladic's wartime record, his capture, and his trial. The tone was factual and sombre, focusing on the scale of the atrocities and the legal process.
- “The Convicted Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic who oversaw war crimes in Yugoslavia in the 1990s Has died in a United Nations prison in The Hague. He was 84”
- “Mladic was jailed for life in 2017 for genocide and crimes against humanity”
- “He'd been in hiding for a number of years after the Bosnian war Before being caught”
ITV News gave prominent coverage to Mladic's death and funeral, with a strong focus on the victims' perspective. Rohit Kachroo's reports highlighted the contrast between his crimes and the honours he received, including interviews with a Srebrenica widow who said he should have suffered longer.
- “Ratko Mladić the war criminal known as the butcher of Bosnia has died in prison aged 84”
- “he was serving a life sentence for genocide war crimes and crimes against humanity”
- “The EU, which Serbia would like to be a part of, has expressed dismay at his glorification.”
Channel 4 News focused on Mladic's notoriety and his unrepentant attitude, using Lindsay Hilsum's report and his last interview with the channel. It highlighted the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo, and noted that he died a war criminal in prison, reviled but seemingly unrepentant.
- “the man dubbed the Butcher of Bosnia has died at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence at The Hague.”
- “His forces carried out both the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre.”
- “Some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in cold blood by Serb nationalist soldiers under Mladic's command.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.