BH Telecom cuts RTRS and ATV signals over broadcast of Ratko Mladic funeral

Subscribers attempting to access RTRS were greeted with an on-screen message explaining the suspension. The company stated that the temporary cut complies with applicable Bosnian legislation prohibiting the broadcast of content that could directly or indirectly glorify convicted war criminals, thereby violating the public interest and the dignity of victims. BH Telecom explicitly referenced Mladic's convictions for the Srebrenica genocide, civilian attacks in Sarajevo, and the hostage-taking of UN personnel.

Mladic was buried at the Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade amid highest military honors, drawing numerous politicians from the Republika Srpska, including the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) leader Milorad Dodik, Banja Luka Mayor Drasko Stanivukovic, and Democratic National Alliance (DNS) leader Nenad Nesic.

In response to the disruption, RTRS issued a statement expressing concern over the signal cutoff for a public broadcaster fulfilling its information mandate, while ignoring the legal judgments against Mladic and the provisions of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina that criminalize the glorification of war criminals.