Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb commander convicted by a UN court of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, was buried in Belgrade on Monday before a crowd of thousands, despite renewed warnings from Brussels against glorifying him — warnings Serbia's government continues to reject.
Prior to the funeral, Mladić's body lay in state since Monday morning at the Serb Orthodox Church of St Luke in Belgrade, where thousands arrived early to honour him, despite being found guilty of the worst bloodbath on European soil since World War II.
His military officer's cap and sabre rested on the coffin, which was flanked by men in fatigues, with his medals also on display.
The crowd gathered included his former soldiers in military garb and young men carrying banners with his image and flags of Serbia and the Bosnian Serb-majority entity of the Republika Srpska, as hundreds of football fans joined the procession to the Košutnjak graveyard.
The crowd clapped as soldiers carried Mladić's coffin, a gun salute rang out and a military orchestra played.
