Opposition divided over Mladic funeral

Mladic died in the UN war crimes tribunal detention unit hospital in the Hague while serving a life sentence for war crimes and the Srebrenica genocide.

While some opposition officials and activists attended the church service led by Serbian Orthodox Church elder Patriarch Porfirije others condemned the fact that government ministers and active service Serbian military troops were there in full uniform.

The right-wing New Democratic Party of Serbia described him as a symbol of resistance, freedom and the defense of Serbs. The conservative Dveri movement said its leader Ivan Kostic attended the service.

Dobrica Veselinovic of the Green-Left Front said the funeral of a convicted war criminal was shameful, while the Movement of Free Citizens said the fact that state and church honors were bestowed was a disgrace.