Serbian government to provide state honors for funeral of Ratko Mladic

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Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic announced that Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military leader convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, would receive full military and state honors upon his death. Mladic died on Thursday while serving a life sentence in The Hague for his role in the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, which resulted in approximately 100,000 deaths and the displacement of 2.2 million people. Vujic stated that Serbian officials were prepared to travel to The Hague to retrieve the body once authorities there released it. Mladic was known as the "Butcher of Bosnia" and was responsible for actions including the Srebrenica massacre, considered Europe's worst act of bloodshed since World War II.

Consequences

The Serbian government's decision to provide state and military honors for a convicted war criminal is expected to create diplomatic friction regarding the handling of his remains. Serbian officials are currently awaiting coordination with authorities in The Hague to finalize the transfer of the body for the funeral proceedings.

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