Police investigate Parlamentní listy journalist over post defending Mladić, convicted of genocide

Czech police have launched an investigation into a social media post by Radim Panenka, deputy editor-in-chief of Parlamentní listy, who publicly defended Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army. The news was confirmed by police spokesman Jakub Vinčálek.

In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Mladić to life imprisonment for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Panenka called the verdict politically motivated and described the trial itself as unjust.

"General Mladić loved his country and the people he served his whole life. In the end, he gave his life for them too. Western (and Czech) media attribute to this military giant deeds he never committed," Panenka wrote, claiming that Mladić "saved the Serbian people in Bosnia from genocide."

What the police say

After Facebook users accused the journalist of downplaying the scale of the genocide, the post drew the attention of police. "We have registered the post and are reviewing it. Above all, we will be assessing whether the author's denial of genocide constitutes a criminal offence," Vinčálek said.

Panenka himself denies that he approved of or downplayed any crime or genocide. "I mainly expressed feelings and impressions based on conversations about Ratko Mladić with my Serbian friends," he said. According to him, doubts about the fairness of the verdict also exist in Serbia. The journalist stressed that questioning a verdict is not in itself a crime, and that only direct verbal or written support for genocide could be described as approval.

Under Article 405 of the Czech Criminal Code, publicly denying, questioning, approving or justifying Nazi, communist or other genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity, is punishable by six months to three years in prison.

What Mladić was convicted of

Ratko Mladić, 84, died on Thursday in a prison in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he was serving a life sentence for a series of crimes, including the Srebrenica genocide, the terrorising of civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, crimes against humanity, and the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and Croats during the war in the former Yugoslavia.

In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under Mladić's command killed 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica — a massacre considered the worst in Europe since World War II. The siege of Sarajevo lasted 44 months, during which, according to official Bosnian government figures, more than 11,500 people died in the city, including several hundred children.

Meanwhile, Serbia's government announced that Mladić will be buried with full military and state honours. Belgrade and the general's family had earlier requested his release on health grounds, but were refused — authorities said the prisoner had access to proper medical care.

Reaction from the Bosnian ambassador

The journalist's post drew comment from Martina Mlinarević, Bosnia and Herzegovina's ambassador to the Czech Republic. "We are horrified by R. Panenka's stance following the death of convicted war criminal Mladić. Glorifying war criminals is unacceptable in a democratic society," she wrote on X, thanking Czechs who sympathise with the victims of genocide and survivors of the Srebrenica massacre.

Besides his work at Parlamentní listy, Radim Panenka has written several books, including one co-authored about former President Miloš Zeman. Since 2021, he has also headed the Czech-Serbian Association for Mutual Cooperation.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz