The Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Justice, Donika Gërvalla, through a reaction, condemned the state and military honors held in Belgrade on the occasion of the funeral of Ratko Mladić, convicted of genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In her reaction, Minister Gërvalla criticized the participation of senior officials of Serbian institutions in the funeral ceremony, objecting in particular to the participation of the Serbian Minister of Justice.

“The body of a criminal was brought from The Hague to Belgrade by state plane.

And there went Serbia’s Justice Minister, Nenad Vujić, the same man who weeks ago publicly promised “high state and military honors” for a person who a United Nations court convicted of genocide, said Minister Gërvalla.

In this context, Minister Gërvalla stated that, as Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kosovo, she considers that such a person should no longer be allowed to sit at any table where the word justice is mentioned.

“Not in Brussels. Not in Berlin. Not in Strasbourg. Nowhere! Because justice is not a negotiating chapter that is opened and closed according to political interest,” she said.

Further, Minister Gërvalla stated that the European Union should not continue to be deaf and blind towards Serbia, because tolerance towards Serbia has led Serbia today to openly deny the genocide and honor the criminal who committed genocide.

“The problem is no longer what Belgrade does, but how long Brussels will continue to tolerate it. For years. For years, Serbia has grown accustomed to being coddled and indulged by the EU, believing that it can cross every red line and still be treated as a partner.”

Further, Minister Gërvalla drew a parallel between what is being discussed in Brussels and the reality that is happening in Belgrade.

“In Brussels they talk about Chapter 23. In Belgrade they fire salutes over the coffin of a genocide criminal.

“In Brussels they talk about the rule of law. In Belgrade the state turns a convicted genocide convict into an honorary figure.

In Brussels they talk about European values. In Belgrade they glorify those who international justice declared responsible for some of the most serious crimes of modern Europe,” said Minister Gërvalla.

During her reaction, she condemned this act, calling it an insult to the victims and contempt for international justice.

“I condemn this act in the strongest political and moral terms because the state honoring of Mladic is an insult to the victims, contempt for international justice and an open act of political rehabilitation of a criminal ideology,” said Minister Gërvalla.

According to her, such acts, which are strongly and unequivocally condemned, should never be normalized.

“We condemn this strongly. We condemn it unequivocally. And we will never normalize it. Those who do not condemn genocide today are the same ones who would remain silent in the face of it tomorrow.

“Not for the sake of politics. For the sake of justice. For the sake of the victims. And for the sake of the truth,” concluded Minister Gërvalla, emphasizing that we must never forget the victims.