CHThe funeral of Ratko Mladic, a convicted war criminal sentenced by the International Criminal Court for genocide and other crimes, took place in Belgrade with high honors despite European Union warnings against such a state funeral. Thousands attended the ceremony, including representatives from Serbia’s government and Bosnian politicians. The Serbian Orthodox Church patriarch led the service, which was broadcast live on television. Despite calls from the EU to avoid honoring a war criminal, Serbia proceeded with the event, signaling a lack of societal reckoning with the wars of the 1990s and Serbia’s role in them. President Aleksandar Vučić, who previously served under Slobodan Milošević, has cultivated a cult around Mladic through state-controlled media and public art, reinforcing Serbian nationalism. Vučić continues to challenge regional stability by opposing Kosovo’s independence and advocating for a violent reclamation of territory, while ignoring EU warnings due to Serbia’s stalled EU accession process.
Bias read (Progressive): The article frames Serbia’s actions as a continuation of nationalist ideology and failure to address past wartime atrocities, criticizing the government’s alignment with figures like Mladic and its disregard for EU norms. It highlights the lack of reconciliation and the promotion of nationalist myth
