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Serbia: Thousands attend 'Butcher of Bosnia' funeral

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Sanja Kljajic in Belgrade
September 8, 2026

Thousands gathered to pay tribute to Ratko Mladic, the convicted war criminal still seen as a hero by many Serbs. With elections expected in about six weeks, Mladic's funeral reopened debates about Serbia's wartime past.

Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander convicted of genocide in Srebrenica and other war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian War, was buried in Belgrade on Monday.

Leaders from Serbia and Republika Srpska attended the funeral and an estimated 16,000 gathered on the streets to pay him their last respects.

DW spoke to some of those who turned out for the ceremony.

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