Karadzic: “Muslims Responsible for Breakout of War”

Witness Savkic, former member of the local crisis committee, repeated the allegations by numerous Karadzic’s Defence witnesses, who said that Muslims began arming themselves and establishing paramilitary formations in 1991. The witness said that, in parallel they stopped responding to mobilisation calls by the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, as per instructions from the Party of Democratic Action, SDA.

According to the witness’ testimony, the paramilitaries marched into Serb villages, abused the local population and stopped vehicles by installing road barricades.

Savkic said that, at the end of 1991 the Muslim National Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced its intention to “create a Muslim state and armed forces”, adding that Serb in Vlasenica and the surrounding areas tried to reach an agreement with Muslims with the aim of avoiding the war.

Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, RS, is charged, among other things, with the persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and genocide against more than 7,000 Muslim men in Srebrenica.

While claiming that he did not know about a “plan A and B” document, which, according to the charges, Karadzic issued in December 1991, ordering the taking over of authority in municipalities with Serb majority, as well as those where Serbs were the minority, Savkic confirmed that the Serb municipality of Milici was formed in March 1992.

The witness said that, although an agreement on division of the municipality was reached with Muslims, SDA delayed its implementation “in order to enable as many Muslims as possible to leave Vlasenica”.

Savkic said that, at the beginning of April 1992 Serbs established a crisis committee and sent the Territorial Defence to prevent an attack by Muslim paramilitary forces, after having found out that it was being prepared.

According to a written statement by this witness, which Karadzic introduced as evidence, “the remaining Muslim population then left the area”, requesting the Serb authorities to provide them with transportation.

Savkic said that, as a member of the VRS, he witnessed failed attempts to demilitarise the area around Srebrenica from which the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH conducted attacks on surrounding villages.

He said that, on July 15, 1995 he saw many dead Muslims in the woods, adding that they were members of a convoy of people, who tried to break through to Tuzla following the fall of Srebrenica. As he said, they were killed in mutual confrontations.

Just like the previous witnesses, Savkic denied that Karadzic and other leaders from Pale had ever ordered the deportation or murder of Muslims.

Savkic stuck to his allegations even after Prosecutor Ann Sutherland presented him, during the cross-examination, with a series of documents related to the persecution of Muslim civilians from Vlasenica and its surroundings and other crimes.

Savkic denied having been in contact with Vujadin Popovic, Chief of Security of the VRS Drina Corps, whom The Hague Tribunal pronounced guilty of genocide in Srebrenica and sentenced to life imprisonment under a first instance verdict.

The trial of Karadzic is due to continue on February 18.