Opposition parties on Mladic’s death: Hero to New DSS, criminal who cannot be a role model for future generations to others

ZLF: Mladic’s death does not end the issue of accountability for war crimes

The opposition Green-Left Front (ZLF) said that Ratko Mladic’s death does not put an end to the issue of accountability for the war crimes that have been committed.

Mladic, the former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska and a convicted war criminal, died at the age of 84 in The Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for war crimes. Mladic was convicted of genocide in Srebrenica and other war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ZLF said that “there remains a lasting obligation to ensure that the truth about the Srebrenica genocide and other war crimes is never forgotten or downplayed.”

“Rather than paying tribute to him, the ZLF calls on state institutions to prevent any attempt to glorify a convicted war criminal in the public sphere,” the ZLF said.

The party expressed solidarity with the victims’ families, who, it said, “unlike Mladic, were denied justice and dignity for decades.”

Milos Jovanovic: Mladic led the struggle for the freedom of the Serb people and will not be forgotten

New Democratic Party of Serbia (New DSS) leader Milos Jovanovic said on Thursday, following the death of former Army of Republika Srpska Commander Ratko Mladic, that Mladic had led the struggle for the freedom of the Serb people, adding that he would not be forgotten.

On behalf of the New DSS leadership and all its members, Jovanovic offered condolences to Mladic’s family and the entire Serb people.

“And may they be at peace, because prison did not extinguish the light of freedom, nor will Mladic be forgotten. Every inch of Republika Srpska that was defended speaks more clearly and loudly than the accusations from The Hague. And the new generations who paint murals of him and celebrate his name clearly show that the truth finds its way,” Jovanovic said.

SSP: No one who has committed a crime can be a role model for future generations

The Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) said on Thursday, following Ratko Mladic’s death, that “no one who has committed a crime can be a role model for future generations.”

The SSP said that “while some promised that their homes would be safe houses for Mladic and called for Zoran Djindjic Boulevard to be renamed after him, others fulfilled Serbia’s international obligations.”

“They arrested Mladic and handed him over to the Hague Tribunal, where he was ultimately convicted of a series of war crimes, including the killing of several thousand people in Srebrenica,” the press release said.

The SSP said this had “cast a long shadow over Serbia and the Serb people, who throughout their history have often been victims themselves and have taken pride in the honor and valor of their soldiers.”

It added that “generations of people who took no part in those crimes and bear no responsibility for them have grown up, and will continue to grow up, carrying the burden of the fact that Serbia’s name is associated around the world with crimes, particularly those committed in Srebrenica.”

“It is time for all the peoples of this region to finally stop running from the facts, pay their respects to the victims and state clearly that crime has no nationality and that no one who has committed a crime can be a role model for future generations,” the Party of Freedom and Justice said.

DS: The death of an individual does not change the facts established by international courts

The Democratic Party (DS) said on Thursday, following Ratko Mladic’s death, that the death of an individual does not change the facts established by international courts “nor can it erase responsibility for the crimes committed.”

The DS stated in a press release that “Mladic was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment for the Srebrenica genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

The party added that “today, above all, our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

“Thousands of people who were killed, expelled from their homes and forever scarred by the war deserve our respect, the truth and remembrance,” the press release said.

The DS said that “Serbia can have a future only if it is capable of dealing responsibly with its past.”

“We therefore expect institutions, political parties and public officials not to use Mladic’s death to downplay facts established by the courts, fuel nationalism or glorify convicted war criminals,” the party said.

It added that “confronting the past is not an act against one’s own people,” but rather “a prerequisite for ensuring that future generations do not bear the burden of crimes they did not commit.”

The Democratic Party said it remains committed to a policy of peace, reconciliation and respect for every victim, as well as to a European Serbia “that has the courage to call the facts by their real name.”