“Speculations We Despise”

Prosecution witness Emir Turkusic, who participated in an investigation into the explosion as member of a Counter-diversion Protection Team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, rejected the suggestion, saying that it was “a speculation we despise”.

Mladic, the then Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is charged with terrorising civilians in Sarajevo through long-lasting shelling and sniping. According to the charges, the grenade, which killed 43 and wounded 75 citizens in front of Markale on August 28, 1995, was fired by the VRS.

During the cross-examination Mladic’s Defence attorney Branko Lukic asked the witness whether it was possible to activate the mine-thrower grenade “statically”, while it was lying on the ground, or by dropping it from hands from a nearby building.

“Theoretically, and practically as well, we can make a guess about everything,” Turkusic said. Responding to an additional question by attorney Lukic, who asked whether the investigators examined that possibility, he said: “We despise such speculations… None of the elements indicated that”.

During his testimony Turkusic said that, according to the marks found on its tail, the grenade, which exploded at Markale, was produced in the “Krusik” factory in Valjevo, Serbia, in 1993. According to his testimony, the investigation determined that the grenade came from the direction where VRS positions were located.

Mladic’s Defence attorney suggested that, following the explosion, the tail, or actually the grenade stabiliser, bounced sideways for 28 metres, as determined by the investigation conducted by Bosnian authorities.

While allowing for the possibility that members of other investigation teams or citizens moved the grenade tail, Turkusic said that the stabiliser could have “bounced as a small ball” after hitting “the extremely solid surface”, such was the asphalt road.

On the basis of presented photographs, Defence attorney Lukic said that either two stabilisers were found near the explosion location or the mentioned piece of evidence was manipulated with, in case only one stabiliser, which was held by the Hague Prosecution, was found.

Turkusic said that he could not comment the Defence’s allegations about two stabilisers, adding that he had never heard about it before. Also, he said he could not comment about what other persons could have done with the found grenade tail later on.

Responding to a Defence’s question, the witness confirmed that, according to the investigation findings, four other grenades, which hit the streets near Markale on that same day, August 28, 1995, could not have been fired from the same place from which the projectile, which killed and wounded the citizens in front of the market place a bit later, was fired.

Indictee Mladic gave up his right to attend this hearing, as well as the hearing scheduled for August 30, due to a visit by his family.

Mladic is 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