The return of the remains of convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic to Serbia has drawn condemnation across the Balkans, with officials accusing authorities of glorifying a man convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Mladic, 84, died after suffering from health problems while serving a life sentence in a prison in The Hague, Netherlands. His remains were brought to Belgrade, where plans for a ceremonial reception and state funeral have sparked anger in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia.
Mladic was convicted for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, including the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
Denis Becirovic, chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency and its Bosniak member, said holding a state ceremony for Mladic amounted to glorifying one of the most brutal criminals in modern history.
"The glorification of Ratko Mladic, a war criminal convicted by a final court ruling, is a direct blow to the values of the United Nations," Becirovic said in a statement posted on the presidency's website.
