Footage of the glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic was recorded on Thursday evening in several cities in the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the news of his death, writes Telegraph.
Several hundred people, among them a large number of young people, gathered in Zvornik and marched through the city chanting Mladic's name.
According to Bosnian media outlet Klix.ba, the participants also carried banners and the flag of the Army of Republika Srpska.
Similar messages have also been recorded in Visegrad, where a video recorded on January 9, during the celebration of the Day of the Republika Srpska, which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has declared unconstitutional, has been re-distributed on social networks.
The video shows dozens of people lighting flares and fireworks on the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge, while a message in honor of Mladic was published alongside the video.
Meanwhile, in other cities in Republika Srpska, citizens gathered in squares and lit candles in memory of Mladic. Memorial services were also held in some churches.
Durakovic reacts to the footage from Zvornik
The Deputy President of the Republika Srpska, Qamil Durakovic (who is of Bosniak nationality), also reacted strongly to the images, recalling the crimes committed against Bosniaks in Zvornik during the war. Durakovic said that the event was not taking place in any city in Serbia, but precisely in Zvornik – a city where, according to him, Mladic's men carried out his orders.
“This is Zvornik – this is the city where Mladic’s dogs of war carried out his orders. This is the city of mass graves of my people,” Durakovic declared. He also stressed that tens of thousands of Bosniaks have been expelled from Zvornik, while reacting sharply to the fact that people are glorifying the figure of Mladic in the same city.
Durakovic also demanded a reaction from state institutions.
"I ask clearly and loudly: does the state exist, do the institutions exist, and if they exist, will they react or will everything remain in insignificant statements?" he said. He described what is happening as "the final stage of genocide," adding that "everyone watches and is silent."
Ratko Mladic, former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the Srebrenica genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
