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UN Official Denounces Public Glorification of War Criminal Mladic
(MENAFN) A senior United Nations official condemned on Tuesday the public glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic and the ongoing denial of the Srebrenica genocide, warning that such conduct threatens efforts to build lasting peace in the Balkans.
Chaloka Beyani, the UN under-secretary-general and special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said he was troubled by public displays honoring Mladic across Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The large-scale public commemoration of Mladić, including the participation of political figures and official ceremonial elements, is both deeply inappropriate and profoundly disturbing," Beyani said in a statement.
He warned that such commemorations minimize serious crimes under international law and erode the dignity of victims, survivors and their families, adding that they run counter to efforts aimed at fostering accountability, mutual understanding and sustainable peace across the region.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice both formally established that genocide occurred in Srebrenica in 1995. Mladic, who commanded the Army of the Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War, was convicted by the ICTY in 2017 on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war. He received a life sentence, and the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals upheld the convictions in June 2021.
Beyani emphasized that Mladic's conviction reflected individual criminal responsibility, stressing that his crimes must not be attributed collectively to an entire community. "The facts established by ICTY do not get extinguished by one's death," he said.
His remarks come in the wake of Mladic's death and echo an earlier statement from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on those in positions of power to refrain from downplaying the gravity of Mladic's crimes.
The special adviser voiced alarm over what he characterized as a persistent and growing wave of genocide denial, along with the involvement of public officials and institutions in glorifying Mladic and his actions.
"Building a society that prioritizes the prevention of atrocity crimes begins with affirming the reality and truth of what happened in the past," Beyani said.
He added that people across the region deserve a future free from fear, and that the war's legacy should serve to strengthen, not undermine, efforts to prevent similar atrocities from happening again.
Chaloka Beyani, the UN under-secretary-general and special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said he was troubled by public displays honoring Mladic across Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The large-scale public commemoration of Mladić, including the participation of political figures and official ceremonial elements, is both deeply inappropriate and profoundly disturbing," Beyani said in a statement.
He warned that such commemorations minimize serious crimes under international law and erode the dignity of victims, survivors and their families, adding that they run counter to efforts aimed at fostering accountability, mutual understanding and sustainable peace across the region.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice both formally established that genocide occurred in Srebrenica in 1995. Mladic, who commanded the Army of the Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War, was convicted by the ICTY in 2017 on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war. He received a life sentence, and the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals upheld the convictions in June 2021.
Beyani emphasized that Mladic's conviction reflected individual criminal responsibility, stressing that his crimes must not be attributed collectively to an entire community. "The facts established by ICTY do not get extinguished by one's death," he said.
His remarks come in the wake of Mladic's death and echo an earlier statement from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on those in positions of power to refrain from downplaying the gravity of Mladic's crimes.
The special adviser voiced alarm over what he characterized as a persistent and growing wave of genocide denial, along with the involvement of public officials and institutions in glorifying Mladic and his actions.
"Building a society that prioritizes the prevention of atrocity crimes begins with affirming the reality and truth of what happened in the past," Beyani said.
He added that people across the region deserve a future free from fear, and that the war's legacy should serve to strengthen, not undermine, efforts to prevent similar atrocities from happening again.
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