Mladic: Projectiles Hitting Hospital
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According to the written statement by Nakas, which the Hague Prosecution included as evidence against Mladic, the state hospital was hit by about 200 projectiles fired from the Serb side during the 1992-95 war.
The witness said that some people, who used to work at the hospital before the war, when it was still a military hospital of the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, informed him that the hospital was targeted deliberately with an intention to destroy it.
Mladic, former Commander of the VRS Main Headquarters, is charged with terrorising the local population in Sarajevo through an artillery and sniper campaign. Also, he is charged with having participated in genocide in Srebrenica and seven other municipalities, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and taking UNPROFOR members hostage in the period from 1992 to 1995.
Nakas, who was appointed Director of the former military hospital following the breakout of the war in May 1992, said that the shelling caused significant damage to the hospital building, although a Red Cross flag was hoisted on its south side, facing the VRS positions.
According to Nakas, the worst period was between May 13 and 16, 1992, when the hospital was hit by about forty grenades.
Nakas said that, by watching what was going on and looking at the grenade fragments found by hospital staff inside the building, he concluded that the artillery and sniper fire came from areas controlled by VRS.
The witness said that numerous patients were treated under the most unfavourable conditions in absence of electricity, water and other basic necessities.
Prior to Nakas testimony, Mladics Defence attorney Branko Lukic completed the cross-examination of Hague Prosecution witness Ekrem Suljevic, who spoke about investigations into the sniping and shelling incidents in Sarajevo.
The trial of Mladic is due to continue on Thursday, February 14, when Nakas will be cross-examined.
