Belgrade (AFP) – War criminal Ratko Mladic will be buried in Belgrade next week, his son told media Friday, as a European Union official cancelled a visit to Serbia over the "glorification" of the former Bosnian Serb military leader.
Mladic died last week, after suffering several strokes, while serving a life sentence in The Hague for war crimes committed during the 1990s war in Bosnia.
The 84-year-old's body was returned to Serbia on a government plane on Thursday, with his casket draped in flags and welcomed with military honours ahead of his funeral on Monday.
"My father's funeral will take place on Monday, September 7, starting at 7:00 am," said Mladic's son Darko, during a press conference in Belgrade alongside Serbia's justice minister.
Details of Mladic's brutal crimes during the war, including his role in the Srebrenica massacre, which was ruled a genocide by a UN court, led international media to dub him the "Butcher of Bosnia".
Despite this, he is still lauded by some Serbs as a hero, particularly in Bosnia's Serb entity Republika Srpska -- where his death was marked with vigils and gatherings.
"I say before the whole world that I am proud of the role of my father," Darko Mladic said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic earlier suggested "tens of thousands" could attend his funeral in the city on Monday.
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