Aleksandar Vučić says he is going to Niš on the very day Ratko Mladić is due to be buried.
Not to attend the funeral of the man convicted of genocide. Not to stand beside his grave. Instead, Vučić says he has an “official visit” because Uzbekistan’s president is coming to Belgrade.
Convenient timing.
While Vučić presents himself as the statesman staying above the controversy, his government has already rolled out the red carpet for Mladić. Serbia’s Justice Minister Nenad Vujić said the convicted war criminal would be buried with the highest state honours.
And this is not just symbolism.
When Mladić’s remains were brought from The Hague, a Serbian government aircraft was used. His coffin was covered with Serbian and Republika Srpska flags, and Serbian Army personnel carried it from the aircraft. The transfer was even broadcast live by the pro-government television channel Informer.
So while Vučić heads to Niš and talks about maternity hospitals and political opponents, the Serbian state is simultaneously providing extraordinary logistical and ceremonial treatment to a man who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the Srebrenica genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
That is the contradiction Vučić cannot explain away.
He may avoid standing at the funeral, but his government is already standing behind the legacy being celebrated there.
And then comes the familiar performance: Vučić claims he wants everything handled “with dignity.”
Dignity for whom?
What about the dignity of the more than 8,000 victims murdered at Srebrenica? What about the victims of the siege of Sarajevo and the countless others killed, expelled and terrorised during the war?
The UN tribunal did not describe Mladić as a misunderstood hero. It convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Yet Serbia is transporting his remains on a government aircraft, placing them under national and Republika Srpska flags, deploying soldiers for the transfer, and preparing a funeral surrounded by state attention.
Vučić can skip the funeral. He cannot skip responsibility.
You cannot hide behind an “official visit” while the state you lead turns a convicted war criminal into a figure of national ceremony.
The world is watching.
This is not about how Vučić positions himself beside the grave. It is about how Serbia chooses to treat the legacy of the man buried there.
