Serbia/Mladić: Quote from MEP Prebilič

MEP Vladimir Prebilič from Slovenia, Greens/EFA negotiator on the situation in Serbia, comments on the glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić, who will be given a funeral in Belgrade on Monday:

“The glorification of Ratko Mladić, a convicted war criminal responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina, is fundamentaly incompatible with dignity, humanity, respect for victims and all core European values. Mladić is a symbol of the worst atrocities, including the Srebrenica genocide, and represents the darkest hour of our recent European history.

"It is disgraceful and deeply disrespectful to victims and their families that Serbian Justice Minister Vujić would afford official state honours for his funeral. I condemn in the strongest possible terms all attempts to whitewash Mladić’s heinous role in the war in Bosnia, as well as the actions taken around his funeral by top Serbian authorities. It is high time for the EPP to stop acting as a safe haven for the SNS party, which openly celebrates convicted war criminals and rolls out the red carpet for the 'Butcher of Bosnia'.”

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Yesterday, the Greens/EFA Group has already called for a strong EU reaction to Serbia after revelations by the digital rights group SHARE foundation that the Serbian government was actively spying on at least 14 individuals such as activists, lawmakers and a local councillor for two years.