Praise God, not Mladić: Ćirović claims she did not pay tribute to the war criminal on Facebook

Even though it's the day of the funeral Ratko Mladić On her Facebook account, the Consul General of Montenegro in Sremski Karlovci wrote the message "Christ is risen. We are risen", with which many said goodbye to the deceased war criminal that day and in the previous days. Nevenka Ćirović claims that the announcement was not a tribute to Mladić, but rather related to her freedom of religion.

This was stated to "Vijesti" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP), responding to questions about Ćirović's announcement.

Following inquiries from the editorial staff, the department asked the Consul General to comment on the allegations related to her Facebook messages.

"In her statement, Consul General Ćirović stated that her announcement had nothing to do with the event you mentioned in your inquiry, namely the funeral of Ratko Mladić. As she informed, the announcement had an exclusively personal and private connotation, and related to the exercise of her (Ćirović) right to freedom of religion," the MFA said.

However, from the department it manages Ervin Ibrahimovic The list did not answer the question of whether they accepted Ćirović's statement, and if not - what they would do about it.

“Christ is risen” is a greeting associated with the great Christian holiday - Easter. However, many people said goodbye to Mladić with these words. The first man of Pljevlja Dario Vranes He wrote that greeting in the obituary of a Hague convict, while he is a councilor of United Montenegro in the Podgorica parliament, Milivoje Brkovic, posted a video of a performance dedicated to Mladić on Facebook in the capital of Montenegro, which shows a group of men holding up a banner on a bridge with the message "General Christ is Risen."

That greeting was also uttered by those gathered at Mladić's funeral in Belgrade.

Storm over Mladić's celebrations

Mladić, a former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska (RS), died on August 27 in The Hague, at the age of 84, while serving a life sentence. He was buried, with state and military honors, at the Topčider Cemetery.

He was found guilty by the Hague Tribunal of genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

After it was announced that Mladić had died, a wave of praise followed. In addition to some Montenegrin citizens, local politicians and a part of the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church also participated in this.

The most reaction was caused by the telegram of condolences sent to Mladić's family by the head of the Montenegrin parliament and the New Serbian Democracy (NSD). Andrija MandicPart of the opposition has therefore submitted a proposal for his dismissal, which will be decided on September 24th.

Mandić's condolences not only provoked harsh reactions from part of the domestic public, but also created a new storm in relations between Montenegro and Croatia, raising the question of the political consequences of celebrating war criminals in a country that aspires to join the European Union (EU).

While the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs characterized Mandić's move as unacceptable and contrary to EU values, the European Commission told "Vijesti" at the end of August that glorifying war criminals has no place in the Union, nor in candidates for membership in that community.

Mandić justified his act with customs, claiming that there was nothing controversial in his telegram, while his NSD said that the Speaker of the Parliament "expressed regret that a statement of condolences... had taken on such proportions and that, through media satanization, it was used to exert pressure on people for whom this topic is particularly sensitive."

The Criminal Code (CC) of Montenegro stipulates (Article 370, paragraph 2) that anyone who publicly approves, denies the existence of, or significantly minimizes the gravity of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, in a manner that may lead to violence or incite hatred - and if these criminal acts have been established by a final judgment of a court in Montenegro or an international criminal court - shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of six months to five years.

Since this provision of the Criminal Code does not explicitly state that glorifying war criminals, and not just crimes, is punishable - which is why such cases often end with criminal charges being dismissed - the Bosniak Party proposed the day before yesterday that this should also be criminally sanctioned.

Ćirović in office until December 2027.

Ćirović was appointed Consul General at the Consulate General of Montenegro in Serbia, based in Sremski Karlovci, at the end of 2021, at the proposal of then Foreign Minister Đorđe Radulović.

Democratic Montenegro joined in July 2020.

Before her political and diplomatic career, she was a long-time journalist for the Public Service.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told "Vijesti" that her mandate as Consul General, which was extended twice (for one year each, after four years in the position), will last until December 5, 2027.

The first man of Pljevlja, Vranes, wrote the greeting "Christ is risen" in the obituary for the Hague convict, while Ujedinjena councilor Milivoje Brković posted a video of a performance dedicated to Mladić on Facebook, which shows a group of men holding up a banner with the message "General Christ is risen" on a bridge.