Graffiti, soccer fans hail Mladic after genocide verdict

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Graffiti hailing Ratko Mladic has appeared in the Serbian capital, reflecting nationalist support for the former Bosnian Serb military chief who was convicted last week of genocide by a U.N. court and sentenced to life in prison.

Mladic's name could be seen Tuesday sprayed in huge letters at several locations in Belgrade, including the downtown area. Mladic has been revered as a hero in some media and by soccer fans.

A small soccer club in northern Serbia last weekend wore T-shirts featuring Mladic.

The surge in support for Mladic after his verdict last Wednesday at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal illustrates persisting divisions in the Balkans after the war in the 1990s.

Mladic was convicted of some of the conflict's worst atrocities, including the massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica.