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Prosecution witness John Wilson, the then Chief of United Nations military observers in Sarajevo, commented on the conversations by saying that they confirmed that Mladic had the power to impose a ceasefire whenever he wanted it.
Testifying on Thursday, October 10, Wilson said that Mladic exposed Sarajevo to non-selective artillery attacks and that thousands of projectiles hit the city on May 28, 1992.
Mladic, former Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, is charged, among other things, with terrorising civilians in Sarajevo through a shelling and sniping in the period from 1992 to 1995. Also, he is charged with having participated in genocide in Srebrenica and seven other Bosnian municipalities, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.
While cross-examining witness Wilson, Mladics Defence attorney Nenad Petrusic quoted the indictees words from his conversation with his subordinates in May 1992 during an evacuation of the Viktor Bubanj military barracks in Sarajevo. The conversation was intercepted and recorded by Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities.
Petrusic said that the VRS Commander said during that conversation: Convey to them to be quiet Do not shoot, you are spoiling everything else for me… The military barracks should be evacuated without fire… We should not destroy everything around us. Lets give peace a chance to speak.
The witness confirmed that, during the conversation Mladic attempted to impose a ceasefire and tried to calm down one of this commanders in order for the military barracks to be evacuated.
He demonstrated that he could impose ceasefire in Sarajevo when he wanted to do it, Wilson said.
During the cross-examination of witness Wilson indictee Mladic was not present in the courtroom, because judges removed him yesterday after he had given loud instructions to his Defence attorneys. Upon the completion of Wilsons testimony, Mladic was allowed to come back to the courtroom.
The trial of Mladic is due to continue on October 29, following a two-week break planned under the work schedule.
