On the twentieth anniversary of Slobodan Milošević’s arrest, encouraged by the broadcast of the series The Family (Porodica) describing his last days at large, the MPs of the Socialist Party of Serbia offered the citizens their vision of recent history. Listening to Đorđe Milićević and Toma Fila, one might simply wonder why Milošević was arrested at all.

On the twentieth anniversary of Slobodan Milošević’s arrest, encouraged by the broadcast of the series The Family (Porodica) describing his last days at large, the MPs of the Socialist Party of Serbia offered the citizens their vision of recent history. Listening to Đorđe Milićević and Toma Fila, one might simply wonder why Milošević was arrested at all. 

 “This treacherous and shameful act is unique in world history in many ways. Milošević was the first current president of a country to be indicted for war crimes before an international tribunal. I would like to look back upon the moment of extradition and the holiday that has an extremely great symbolism in our people, and that is the Saint Vitus Day (Vidovdan). It is one of our most important spiritual and historical holidays. Unfortunately, this date will be remembered in recent history as the day of betrayal.”

“Judas Iscariot sold Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. The Serbian Government sold Milošević for 50 million dollars. It will be known in the history of Serbia that we are the only country in which the Government handed over its former president. Do you know what politeness is in America? The new president gives abolition to the previous president so that no one would harass him in various legal proceedings.”

The head of the Serbian Progressive Party’s parliamentary group, Aleksandar Martinović, also mentioned Milošević, reading a transcript of his conversation with Ratko Mladić, wartime commander of the Army of Republika Srpska Army, shortly after the Srebrenica crimes.

“And then Mladić tells him, “No civilians were killed, neither on the farm in Kravica, nor in Srebrenica.” So I am quoting what Mladić said in that conversation. Mladić also says, “I am with them”, that is, with the representatives of the Muslims who remained in Srebrenica, who did not withdraw towards Tuzla with the parts of the 28th Division of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He says ‘I signed a contract with them where to come, and whoever came to the checkpoint was saved’, and he says ‘those who died were killed in the breakthrough towards Tuzla because many stormed into the minefield”.

Although Martinović said that every victim was important and called for reconciliation between Serbs and Bosnians, the impression remained that despite war crimes charges involving genocide, the Serbian Parliament remains a “safe house for Ratko Mladić“, just as it was in 2007. said the president of Martinović’s party.

For the Open Parliament Mirjana Nikolić.