Weighing In on Slobodan Milosevic

The following comments reflect the views of our readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

It is very strange that so many people care for the death of Milosevic who sent to death 200,000 people, while very few look at the death of Zoran Djindjic who had the courage to try to pull out the Serbs from the deep fall that Milosevic created. It seems there are so many people lingering for the great achievements of robbing and killing people under the name of communism. -- ppathan

How could anybody agree to anything this perverse person has decided? In this world and the next world, he is a murderer and, if he could, he would have been just as evil as the untrue German, Hitler. -- Carlos Beeck

I do not believe that his death will change many minds, or work miracles in the Balkans. I also believe that Milosevic died of natural causes, not inflicted by those who held him prisoner. However, I have strong reservations as to the promise of a fair trial. Milosevic and Saddam have wronged many, but so have others, who are totally free. Saddam's trial is a farce, that in Holland somewhat better. How can we expect justice in a trial which is politically motivated? -- pconvent

He probably should be buried in his homeland, in his own private grave (if he had one), but no state funeral and not in a dignified way. He is after all "Butcher of the Balkans." He could have stopped all that killing, but he didn't want to. -- mpinezic

This is a moment to change and look forward to the future, the age of the communist has gone. I believe the Bosnian-Serbian Republic can join Croatia-Bosnia in one modern secular country or choose to stay behind. -- aimanium

I don't think he should be given a state funeral. However, I think that his family/followers should be allowed to gather in any given number and pay their respect as they wish. -- Nela Vasiljevic, USA (born in Belgrade)

He deserves a state funeral. Ms del Ponte deserves to be put on trial for abuse of power and accomplice to murder. -- mike

No Serbian leader in the history of Serbia, has done more damage to his own country. His funeral should not be permitted in Serbia. -- voja

I do not believe it was a heart attack. My condolences for Serbia. -- Agatha King, Canada

Slobodan Milosevic like all politicians in the East and West did the best he could to try and keep the federation alive. If the covert operations, primarily German, English and later American, did not meddle in the Balkan affairs there would have been fewer deaths on all sides. But that was not the internationalists' goal. It was to carve former Yugoslavia into states, to take advantage of each new state, and to use a carrot and stick approach to getting what they want. It's interesting how former diplomats like General McKenzie, Lord Owen and many others who were involved earlier have a different story of what happened during the former wars then our media has written about. The media has always favored the Croats or the Bosnian Muslims, but forgot about the cleansing of the Serbs from Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. -- fcodgil

I believe that a relatively low-key, respectful state funeral and burial would be a workable compromise that would assist in maintaining peace. -- Jack