Thousands of mourners said goodbye to the convicted Mladic at St. Luke's Church in Belgrade. Serbs visiting from elsewhere, a number of ministers and the Russian ambassador to Serbia were among those who attended the funeral ceremony, which was broadcast live online.
There has been controversy over whether Mladic should receive a state funeral. Formally, Mladic's son is the organiser of the funeral. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has promised security for the funeral but will not attend it himself.
On Monday evening, Sarajevo made it clear that "as many employees as possible" from the mission in Belgrade are being called home due to Serbia's glorification of the war criminal, writes the EFE news agency.
Died in prison
Ratko Mladic, also known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” was serving a life sentence when he died in prison in The Hague on August 27. He was 84. Since his coffin was flown to Serbia, tributes to Mladic have alternated with honours, shirts, Serbian flags, banners and, on Monday, military ceremonies.
Serbia's warm reception of Mladic's coffin has been met with sharp international condemnation. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Serbia: "the glorification surrounding his death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is based", referring to Serbia's status as an EU candidate country.
Thousands were murdered
The UN war crimes tribunal convicted Mladic for his role in the Bosnian War and the Srebrenica genocide. From 11 July 1995 onwards, over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred by the Bosnian Serb army under Mladic's command.
Mladic was also convicted of persecution and forced displacement of Bosnian Muslims and Croats, for terrorising the civilian population during the siege of Sarajevo, and for taking UN peacekeepers hostage during NATO airstrikes in 1995.
Around 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million people were displaced during the 1992–1995 war.
