Astonished By the Deportation of Muslims

Former United Nations, UN Peace Envoy Yasushi Akashi says at Radovan Karadzic’s trial that, according to UNHCR’s assessment, most Muslims wanted to leave the Srebrenica enclave, which was occupied by the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, in July 1995.

Akashi said that UNHCR therefore advocated for “a quick, safe and organised” evacuation of the Muslim population from Srebrenica.

Karadzic, the then President of Republika Srpska and supreme Commander of VRS, is charged with genocide against about 7,000 Muslim men and forcible resettlement of thousands of women, children and the elderly from Srebrenica in the days that followed the VRS occupation of the enclave on July 11, 1995.

 “The UNHCR’s stand was that, for humanitarian reasons, all those who wanted to leave should be enabled to do so. UNPROFOR supported UNHCR,” Akashi said.

Akashi told the Tribunal that, on the other hand, the Bosnian Government wanted the civilians “to stay”, adding that it was “a hot, controversial issue”.

The witness confirmed that, on July 12, 1995 he informed the UN Secretary General, whose envoy he was, that, “according to UNHCR, a large majority of the local population from Srebrenica did not want to stay there”.
 
As indicated in one of Akashi’s letters to the UN’s Headquarters, which Karadzic quoted in the courtroom, UNPROFOR planned to begin the evacuation of more than 30,000 civilians on July 13, 1995, but the evacuation had already been “completed” under the VRS control by the morning of that day.  
 
Indictee Karadzic suggested that Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic brought VRS Commander Ratko Mladic to a meeting with Akashi in Belgrade on July 15, 1995, instead of bringing him, because he considered Mladic “more co-operative”. Milosevic died prior to the end of his trial before The Hague Tribunal.  
 
Describing that Mladic was “under big pressure”, the Japanese diplomat said that Milosevic invited Mladic to the meeting as per a proposal by European Peace Envoy Carl Bildt.
 
During the cross-examination Prosecutor Caroline Edgerton asked Akashi whether he knew, in February 1994, that local authorities in Sarajevo conducted an investigation into an explosion at Markale open market, where more than 200 citizens were either killed or wounded.
 
The witness, who said, during his testimony on the previous day, that the UN investigation findings suggested that the grenade could have been fired by either conflicting party, answered negatively.
 
According to the indictment, which charges Karadzic with terrorising civilians in Sarajevo by shelling and sniping, the grenade that killed 66 people and wounded more than 140 citizens at Markale on February 5, 1994 was fired by VRS.
 
Akashi confirmed that, in September 1994 he sent a letter to Karadzic, expressing his “complete astonishment” due to the deportation of “more than 2,500 Muslims from Bijeljina” and 700 persons from Central Bosnia.
 
In his letter, which was quoted by the Prosecutor, Akashi warned the Bosnian Serb leader that he would work on identification, arrest and criminal prosecution of those responsible for the deportations, which continued despite Karadzic’s promise that he would stop them.
 
“No further explanations are needed. This letter was a consequence of my complete astonishment,” Akashi said.
 
When asked whether the deportation of civilians could have taken place without the knowledge of and consent by the Bosnian Serb authorities, Akashi said: “It could unlikely happen without the knowledge of the authorities”.

Karadzic is also charged with the persecution of Muslims and Croats from 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When asked by Prosecutor Edgerton whether it was difficult to annul “the clearing of entire areas” of the non-Serb population through negotiations, the witness answered affirmatively, but it did not mean that international negotiators accepted the situation in the field, which was created by “unfair” and “unlawful” acts.
 
The UN Envoy said that he sent protest letters to Karadzic due to obstruction of humanitarian deliveries to the UN protected enclaves, such was Gorazde, in the spring of 1994. However, he attributed it to “the lack of discipline in VRS”, adding that “both sides considered humanitarian aid as a potential tool for debilitating the other side”.
 
Responding to questions by the Prosecutor, Akashi confirmed the allegation that, following the NATO air strikes in May 1995, the VRS took UNPROFOR members “hostage” and used them as “human shields” in order to prevent further attacks.
 
The trial of Karadzic at The Hague is due to continue on May 7.