Military Observers as Prisoners of War
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Milorad Sehovac, former Commander of the Second Sarajevo Brigade of VRS, said that, as per an order from the Command, he took military observers of the United Nations, UN, prisoners of war, not hostages.
He said that this was done after “UNPROFOR had openly taken the enemy side”, i.e. the side of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH.
As he specified, his Brigade declared five to seven UN military observers prisoners of war.
“I must point out that we did not mistreat them,” Sehovac said, mentioning that he enabled the prisoners to contact their families and access a doctor.
He said that they were not subjected to coercion and that everything was done in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
“We did not get any orders, telling us to tie them or use them as human shields,” the witness said, supposing that “either paramilitary formations or extremist members of VRS” tied the prisoners next to VRS buildings and used them as human shields.
During the cross-examination Prosecutor Peter McCloskey said that Sehovac was responsible for the murder of two persons – a Croat and a Serb, during the Bosnian war, but the witness denied the allegation. He confirmed that he was tried for the death of the Serb, but a court martial acquitted him of charges.
The Prosecutor then quoted an order to “use actions by reconnaissance-terrorist groups” in order to cause negative effects on the Muslim Army and population, asking the witness whether those actions were in accordance with the international war laws.
“Each victory we won had a negative effect on them…The destiny of the population, both on the Muslim and Serb sides, was linked to the destiny of their armies,” Sehovac said.
Mladic is charged with taking UNPROFOR members hostage, committing genocide in Srebrenica, persecuting Muslims and Croats, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, and terrorising the local population in Sarajevo through long-lasting shelling and sniping.
At this hearing Mladic’s Defence began examining witness Dragan Milanovic, who spoke about the breakout of the conflict in Foca.
His examination is due to continue on July 16.
