Butcher of Bosnia Ratko Mladic still hailed as a hero by some Serbs

What the report says

Hundreds of Bosnian Serbs gathered to honor former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, according to Al Jazeera’s report. The gathering took place in Bosnia and reflects how Mladić remains a divisive figure more than two decades after the Bosnian War and the Srebrenica genocide.

Al Jazeera said the tribute centered on a man who was convicted of genocide and war crimes for his role in the conflict. Mladić’s name is closely tied to atrocities committed during the war, especially the killings at Srebrenica, which are recognized internationally as genocide. The event showed that, despite those convictions, some Serbs continue to view him as a hero.

The report is significant because it underscores how wartime memories and nationalist narratives continue to shape public life in the Balkans. In Bosnia and across the former Yugoslavia, interpretations of the war remain sharply divided, and public commemorations or tributes to convicted wartime figures often provoke anger and concern from victims’ families and rights advocates.

More broadly, the story points to the continuing difficulty of reconciliation in the region. It highlights how legal judgments from international courts do not always translate into shared public acceptance, especially when wartime leaders are still celebrated by some communities.