Serbia's Honors for War Criminal Ratko Mladić Spark Outcry

In Belgrade, Serbia, convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić was honored with a funeral. This event included state support and full military honors. Mladić's name symbolizes major atrocities in Europe after World War II, including the Srebrenica genocide. This act indicates that official Serbia has not rejected the ideology behind the aggression and genocide of the 1990s.

Serbian Army members stood guard by Mladić's coffin, which displayed a saber and medals. This sends a hurtful message to victims. The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IGK) believes honoring Mladić shifts his guilt for genocide and war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Serbian people.

Serbia had denied ties to Mladić and war crimes for years. Now, it seems to accept them. Serbia appears to agree with a person convicted for the Srebrenica genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, and forced displacement. If Serbia views a war criminal, sentenced to life for genocide by a UN court, as a hero, then it sees his actions as 'heroic.' This policy lacks regret for victims and fuels hatred in Serbian society. Such glorification of war criminals and genocide denial contradicts basic Canadian values. Truth cannot be erased by attempts to rewrite history.