09/12/2026 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights made the following statement today on the glorification of Ratko Mladić:
"The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Ratko Mladić of genocide resulting in the massacre of between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, and of crimes against humanity and war crimes. These crimes included persecution involving the rape of women and girls; and murder, terror and unlawful attacks on civilians during the siege of Sarajevo. The return of his body to Belgrade and his funeral have revived memories of some of the darkest moments in Europe’s history.
The committee expresses its solidarity with the victims of Mr Mladić’s crimes and their relatives. The denial of these crimes, established by final judgments of the ICTY, or the glorification of their perpetrators, particularly by State authorities, is incompatible with the values of the Council of Europe and falls outside the protection of freedom of expression. It insults the dignity of the thousands of people killed, injured, displaced or otherwise affected.
Confronting the truth, rather than glorifying those responsible, is indispensable to preventing the recurrence of such atrocities and fostering reconciliation in the Balkans. Upon acceding to the Council of Europe, Serbia undertook to inform the people of Serbia about the crimes committed by the regime of Slobodan Miloševic (Opinion 239 (2002)). The committee considers that the participation of several high-ranking Serbian officials in Mr Mladić’s funeral, together with the military honours accorded to him, constitutes a manifest breach of that commitment.
The committee therefore urges the Serbian authorities to reconsider their actions, bringing them into line not only with Serbia’s accession commitments but also with overall Council of Europe values."