While Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is in the United States attending the UN General Assembly and holding meetings with international representatives, new murals glorifying Ratko Mladić have appeared on the streets of Serbia. Mladić is serving a life sentence imposed by international justice for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Serbian Presidency announced that Vučić is in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and representatives of the international community.
At the same time, the Serbian weekly Vreme has reported a new wave of murals and graffiti dedicated to Mladić in Belgrade and other Serbian cities.
One of the murals appeared in central Belgrade, near a police station. On Majke Jevrosime Street, opposite the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia, a mural depicts Mladić as a “hero who will live forever.” The original version of the graffiti also referred to Srebrenica.
The word “Srebrenica” was later replaced with the word “love.”
Mladić was sentenced to life imprisonment by international justice, including for the genocide committed in Srebrenica.
Sofija Todorović, director of programs at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, said the new murals should not be viewed as isolated incidents.
According to Todorović, the murals are part of a coordinated activity rather than random initiatives by individuals. She said citizens have reported numerous new murals following Mladić’s funeral.
The initiative says it has reported hundreds of similar cases to local authorities over the years, but many of the murals have remained in place.
The glorification of Mladić in Serbia’s public spaces is not a new phenomenon.
One of the most widely known murals appeared in Belgrade in 2021, shortly after his life sentence became final. Attempts by activists to remove or cover the mural led to clashes and police intervention.
The latest wave of murals comes only weeks after Mladić’s funeral in Belgrade.
Vreme reported that he was buried with military honors at the Topčider Cemetery, while the religious ceremony was led by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.
According to the Public Gatherings Archive, around 16,000 people attended the farewell ceremony. Among those present were several Serbian government ministers, former minister Aleksandar Vulin and Danilo Vučić, the Serbian president’s son.
Thus, while Vučić conducts diplomatic activities in New York and meets international representatives, Serbia continues to face questions over how it confronts the legacy of the wars of the 1990s and the public glorification of a person convicted of genocide and war crimes.
