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Pasic, who was also president of the Crisis Headquarters of the Serb Democratic Party, testified that Muslims from Bosanski Novi voluntarily left in the spring and summer of 1992, “not only for political and safety reasons, but for economic and social ones too.”
The request by Muslims representatives to be allowed to leave Pasic considered the best option. Pasic said that previously, in May 1992, Serb authorities ordered that illegal weaponry be turned in. However, Muslim ignored that, he said.
The witness explained that civilians and military police then apprehended them, and due to a lack of space, collected them at the football stadium. Those “who were not dangerous” were released, others were detained for investigation. Pasic confirmed that Serb paramilitaries were causing problems to the authorities, which did not invite them. He also knew about the demolition of mosques in Bosanski Novi, but not who had done it.
Karadzic is charged with expulsion of Muslims and Croat population from 20 Bosnian municipalities, including the illegal imprisonment, abuse, murder and forced transfer of thousands of civilians. He is also charged with genocide in Srebrenica and other crimes. Confirming that the authorities could not protect the non-Serb population, Pasic said that paramilitaries which were under no one’s control posed a big problem.
“The crisis headquarters announced that the non-Serb population cannot be guaranteed that their property would be secured, their houses or, for that matter, their lives. We could not guarantee it… That is why Muslims asked to leave,” said Pasic.
He emphasised that legal authorities did not want at any point to force anyone off their homeland, nor were non-Serbs threatened or had force used against.
Aware of the overall situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pasic said, Muslims asked to be temporarily transferred until the war danger subsided. After the prosecutor presented him with the demand from the meeting of heads of seven Serb municipalities in the region on June 7, 1992, that Muslims and Croats leave the territory while their number is not reduced to an acceptable level, Pasic replied he did not remember being present at that meeting.
“You are always criticising us that we wanted to drive the Muslims away.. That was not the goal of the crisis headquarters or municipal authorities,” said the witness. He stuck to that claim even after the prosecutor quoted testimonies from Muslim representatives, but also UNPROFOR officials, with whom Pasic negotiated in the summer of 1992, that Muslims did not leave Bosanski Novi of their own free will.
“We only mediated the Muslims’ wishes,” said Pasic, adding that, due to radio connection failure, the Serb leadership at Pale did not know anything about it.
The trial will resume on July 10.
