Calls for Patriarch Porfirije to be declared “non grata” after tributes to Mladić

Rron Gjinovci, a prominent activist, has strongly urged Kosovo’s authorities to declare Porfirije, the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, persona non grata in the country. The move comes in response to his remarks about Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb general.

In a public statement, Gjinovci linked the demand to the position expressed by the head of the Serbian Church during Mladić’s funeral ceremony. He argued that individuals who glorify a war criminal should not be allowed to move freely throughout Kosovo.

“Because of the glorification of the war criminal Ratko Mladić, Porfirije should be declared ‘non grata’. The state of Kosovo has no reason to grant freedom of action to those who spread genocidal ideas,” he wrote in his response.

Gjinovci’s reference centered on the moment when the Serbian patriarch, during the funeral rites, said that Mladić’s name would continue to live on in the memory and prayers of a significant part of the Serbian nation and Orthodox believers.

In his speech, Porfirije went further, emphasizing a feeling of “permanent gratitude” on the part of the Serbian people. He described Mladić as a commander who led Serbian forces through an extremely complex and painful historical period.

It should be recalled that Mladić was sentenced to life imprisonment by a UN international tribunal. The judgment found him guilty of atrocities committed during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the genocidal massacre in Srebrenica.