Officials criticized for glorifying Ratko Mladić in North Macedonia

At the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, 8,372 gravestones mark Bosniak Muslim victims of the 1995 massacre committed by Bosnian Serb forces under Ratko Mladić. Mladić died August 27 while serving a life sentence after the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals convicted him of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

“Death does not erase the verdict,” Jashari argues. As North Macedonia marks 35 years of independence, officials who praise Mladić undermine victims, the rule of law and the country’s multiethnic and European direction.

Dalibor Kitanović, director of the Agency for Exercising the Rights of Communities, published an Instagram photomontage placing Mladić among “generals of the heavenly army.” The post was later deleted.

The Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, led by Minister of Local Self-Government Ivan Stoilković, portrayed Mladić as a general who served the army and the people, suggesting many would remember him “not because of The Hague.”

For ethnic Bosniak citizens, Srebrenica is not distant history. Glorifying a man convicted of genocide against Bosniaks tells them their pain and dignity matter less, weakening interethnic trust.

Condemning Mladić is not a stance against the Serbian people, Jashari writes. Criminal responsibility is individual; respect for victims should be universal.

Article 407-a of North Macedonia’s Criminal Code provides criminal liability for publicly denying, grossly minimizing, approving or justifying genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, including through information systems. Prosecutors and courts must examine whether posts meet the elements of an offence. Political and moral responsibility can require resignation or dismissal without waiting for a verdict.

SDSM, DUI, SDA and LDP condemned the glorification and called for accountability. The VLEN coalition, a junior partner in the VMRO-DPMNE-led government, condemned it but did not name Kitanović or Stoilković. VMRO-DPMNE said on August 30 that officials who supported Mladić should withdraw statements or step down, without naming them.

On July 16, North Macedonia endorsed the EU declaration at the OSCE stating there is no place in Europe for genocide denial, revisionism or glorification of convicted war criminals. Tolerating such conduct by officials undermines the credibility of a candidate country and its European vision.