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As cross-examination continues at Radovan Karadzic’s trial, Canadian General David Fraser says that Bosniak authorities “probably could have gained some political benefits” from the incidents that took place in the so-called “sniper alley”.
Responding to Karadzic, who asked why commanders with the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps, SRC, of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, would have allowed Bosniaks to benefit from those incidents, causing harm to Serbs, Fraser said that commanders from both sides “demonstrated a certain level of professionalism and control”, adding they were not stupid, but “stupid things were happening”.
Radovan Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska and Supreme Commander of its armed forces, is on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
He is charged with crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. Among other things, the Hague Prosecution has charged him with the shelling and sniping campaign in Sarajevo.
The Hague Tribunal previously rendered second instance verdicts and sentenced former SRC Commanders Stanislav Galic to life imprisonment and Dragomir Milosevic to 29 years in prison for the shelling in Sarajevo.
Fraser, who was Assistant Commander of UNPROFOR in Sarajevo from April 1994 to May 1995, said that he confirmed, on the basis of reports from UN forces, that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted an attack on Serb positions near Sarajevo in September 1994, a few days prior to the NATO strikes on the positions held by Serbs.
He said that the response by VRS forces was “fairly proportionate” in this case.
The witness said that a protest letter was filed with the First Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to violation of the heavy weapons exclusion zone, while it was suggested to the Serb side not to respond to the attack.
He disagreed with the indictee’s statement that, according to the agreement, Serbs had the right to use heavy weapons in response to the attack, despite the fact that the attack was conducted using mine-throwers.
Following Fraser’s examination, Karadzic began cross-examining Bogdan Vidovic, former Crime Technician with the Safety Services Center, SSC, in Sarajevo, who performed crime scene inspections after sniper incidents in 1994 and 1995.
When asked by Karadzic about the wounding of three people in a tram on June 19, 1994, the witness, showing marks he made on a map, said that those people were shot from Serb positions located across the Vrbanja bridge.
Responding to Karadzic’s questions, Vidovic said that the crime scene could have also been hit from the Assembly building located nearby, a chapel at the Jewish cemetery and a hill on the east side of the city, where, as Karadzic said, the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina held positions.
Vidovic, who testified under face alteration measures, is due to continue his testimony on Wednesday, October 20.
M.T.
