UN experts warn against glorifying convicted war criminals after Mladic funeral

UN experts on Wednesday warned that glorifying perpetrators of international crimes can cause further harm to victims and survivors, after convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic was given what they described as a "hero's funeral" in Belgrade earlier this month.

The experts said official tributes to people convicted of atrocities can "deepen suffering and undermine memory, truth and accountability," expressing particular concern over the attendance of senior officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina's Republika Srpska entity at Mladic's Sept. 7 funeral.

Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb general known as the “butcher of Bosnia,” was convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, including for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. He died in August while serving a life sentence in The Hague.

According to reports cited by the experts, Mladic's coffin was transported to Serbia on a government plane and carried by uniformed soldiers, while military medals were displayed as thousands attended a Belgrade church.

"Lasting reconciliation is built on truth, accountability and respect for victims," the experts said, urging commemorative initiatives to uphold judicially established facts and reject denialism and historical revisionism.