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While cross-examining Defence witness Nikola Mijatovic at Ratko Mladic’s trial, Prosecutor Dermot Groome points to inconsistencies between several statements he gave at various trial before The Hague Tribunal.
Prosecutor Groome compared the allegation by Mijatovic, former Deputy Commander of Ilidza Brigade with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, that “400 command places” of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, were situated in Sarajevo with a statement given by general Dragomir Milosevic, the witness’ superior officer, who said that there were about 200 legitimate military targets in the city. Milosevic was sentenced to 29 years in prison for crimes in Sarajevo.
“It was said, at meetings, that there were about 300 command places,” Mijatovic responded.
When asked by presiding judge Alphons Orie whether the VRS opened fire at those targets irrespective of whether fire was opened from those places, the witness said:
“It may have happened, but, as far as I know, we only opened fire in response to their fire… We never targeted civilian targets, but only the military ones, which exposed us to fire.”
The Prosecutor suggested that, in his statement, Mijatovic described two explosions of “modified air-bombs”, which the VRS fired on targets in Sarajevo in the spring and summer of 1995, although he did not have any direct or more detailed findings about those incidents.
Mijatovic confirmed that he learnt about the explosions, which, according to the charges, killed one and wounded several civilians on April 7 and June 25, 1995, from “Muslim media”, adding that the details were “explained” to him only after he had arrived at The Hague.
Prosecutor Groome specified that, in his written statement the witness said that an ABiH’s mine-thrower was located at “the command place” of Muslim forces in Hrasnica, which was targeted by “the modified air-bomb” on April 7, although he said, later on, that tens of heavy weapons opened fire at Serb forces from that town.
While confirming those allegations, Mijatovic said that “80 pieces of heavy weapons” were situated in Hrasnica and that he originally “could not remember everything”.
Just like the four previous witnesses, who testified in defence of Mladic, during his main testimony of last Friday Mijatovic denied the allegation that the VRS terrorised the local population in Sarajevo by conducting a shelling and sniping campaign.
Mladic, the then Commander of VRS, is also charged with genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout BiH, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, and taking UN “blue helmets” hostage.
The trial of Mladic is due to continue tomorrow, May 27.
