Stojković accuses Vučić of “double game” after state ceremony for Mladić

Serbian lawyer Čedomir Stojković has accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of pursuing a double policy regarding the state treatment of Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide and war crimes.

His reaction came after a ceremony held on Saturday at the House of the Serbian Army in Belgrade. According to Stojković, while Belgrade sends different messages to Western countries, Serbian authorities are honoring Mladić at one of the capital’s most important state and military facilities, KosovaPress reports.

“Vučić’s double game,” the Serbian lawyer wrote, claiming that the president makes “anti-European” decisions but then tries to present the situation to the West as if he bears no responsibility for them.

Stojković said that the ceremony organized at the House of the Serbian Army represented one of the greatest state honors ever bestowed on Mladić.

Those present at the September 5 event included Serbia’s Justice Minister Nenad Vujić, Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan, two ministers from the entity and former Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Šainović. During the speeches, Mladić was described as a “great leader,” a “top professional” and an “honest officer.”

According to Stojković’s interpretation, holding the ceremony at a Ministry of Defense facility constitutes a clear political signal. He claims that through this event, the Government of Serbia is assuming political responsibility for honoring a person convicted of genocide.

The lawyer also criticized Belgrade’s approach to the process of integration into the European Union. He argues that the glorification of Mladić conflicts with European values.

The European Union has also reacted to the way Mladić is being treated. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos canceled her planned visit to Serbia, saying that honoring a person convicted of war crimes and genocide is incompatible with the values on which the path toward the EU is based.

The United Nations mechanism for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia sentenced Mladić to life imprisonment. In the final judgment, he was found guilty, among other offenses, of the genocide in Srebrenica, persecution, deportation and murder, as well as terrorizing civilians during the siege of Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia has stated that the state and military honors for Mladić are illegal. The organization referred to the fact that his military rank had been revoked following the final judgment in 2021.

In his reaction, Stojković used the case to describe how, in his view, power operates in Serbia. He claims that in an authoritarian system, the Government’s key decisions are actually decisions made by the president.

Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, who was convicted by an international court of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the war in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995, died on August 27 at the age of 84.

His burial is expected to take place on September 7 at Topčider Cemetery.