A Bosnian victims’ association has asked authorities in East Novo Sarajevo to remove a plaque bearing the name of convicted wartime commander Ratko Mladic from the Vraca area, arguing that it violates Bosnia’s criminal code and glorifies a war criminal.
The Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide said it had submitted a formal request for the plaque’s removal as soon as possible, citing legal provisions that ban the public glorification of people convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The group said local authorities had failed to act after the law took effect in July 2021 and instead reclassified the plaque in April 2023 as a site of major significance for the municipality.
According to the association, the presence of such a symbol in a public space insults victims and their families, creates fear and insecurity among returnees and undermines inter-ethnic relations and reconciliation in Bosnia.
The group also recalled that the appeals chamber of the U.N. war crimes mechanism upheld Mladic’s conviction in June 2021 for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, persecution, terror and deportation, and confirmed his life sentence.
It said that if the municipality failed to act on the request, it would refer the case to Bosnia’s state prosecutor over what it described as continued glorification of convicted war criminals in public spaces.