Markale Surrounding was Strictly Civilian Part of Town

Prosecution witness Emir Turkusic testifies at Ratko Mladic’s trial and denies a Defence’s allegation that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, Staffs was located in the vicinity of Markale open market in Sarajevo in the summer of 1995.

Mladic, the then Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is charged with terrorizing civilians in Sarajevo by long-lasting shelling and sniping. According to the charges, a grenade that killed 43 and wounded 75 citizens in front of Markale open market on August 28, 1995 was fired by VRS. 
 
Turkusic, who participated in an investigation in that explosion as member of a Counter-diversion Protection Team with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the grenade was made in “Krusik” Factory in Valjevo, Serbia, two years earlier. According to the witness, the investigation determined that the projectile came from a location about 2,400 meters away from a direction where VRS positions were located.
 
During the cross-examination Mladic’s Defence attorney Branko Lukic said that legitimate military targets were located in the vicinity of Markale market in Sarajevo downtown area.
 
“There were no military targets, brigade headquarters or fortifications at that place. It was a strictly civilian part of the city,” Turkusic said.
 
Mladic’s Defence attorney then suggested that, at the time the Main Headquarters of ABiH was situated in “Svjetlost” publishing company, which was “across the street” and “less than 50 meters away” from Markale. Turkusic confirmed that the building was “there, in the vicinity”, adding that “it could not have been reached by a mine-thrower grenade”. 
 
Responding to a Defence’s allegation that “2,000 legitimate military targets” existed in Sarajevo, the witness said that he had not heard about it.
 
Calling on military tables, Defence attorney Lukic presented Turkusic with an allegation that it was allowed to fire up to 216 mine-thrower grenades in order to partially “neutralize” such a target.
 
Turkusic responded by saying that, according to military standards, “the civilian population is not considered enemy living force”. He said that the Defence attorney’s question implied that “the character of the war in Sarajevo was such that all local residents were considered legitimate military targets”.
 
Commenting the Markale explosion again, the Defence attorney asked whether it was possible to hit the target and destroy it with just one mine-thrower grenade. Turkusic said that it was possible to do it after four years of war, considering the fact that all buildings in the city were well-known to the attacker. 
 
Defence attorney Lukic dedicated a significant part of the cross-examination to technical details about investigations into several grenade explosions in Dobrinja neighbourhood Sarajevo, in which civilians got killed. Mladic’s Defence attorney said that, immediately prior to those explosions, police warned citizens by telling them not to gather in groups due to a danger of mine-thrower attacks.
 
“I have never heard that before,” said Turkusic, who participated in investigations into those incidents. Responding to a Defence’s suggestion that ABiH staffs or weapon production facilities were located in the vicinity of the explosion locations, the witness said that it was possible, but he did not have concrete discoveries about that.
 
Mladic is also charged with genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.
 
The trial is due to continue on August 29.