Charming, Strict and Loved

Defence witness Bosko Gvozden says, testifying before The Hague Tribunal today, that the allegations that Ratko Mladic ordered liquidation of Muslims, who were captured in Srebrenica in the summer of 1995, were “disparate with his personality”.

Gvozden, retired general of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, who was a liaison officer with the Main Headquarters during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that Mladic was not able to command his troops during his stay in Belgrade on July 16 and 17, 1995.

According to the charges, in the mentioned period a large scale shooting of Srebrenica Muslims, who had been captured by Serb forces, was already underway.

Commenting on a recording, depicting Mladic issuing instructions to his subordinates at the battlefield to continue “at full steam” via the phone during his meeting with Serb emigrants from Canada in Belgrade on July 16, 1995, the witness suggested that it did not represent commanding by communication.

“I concluded that he wanted to demonstrate, in a charming manner, how he could communicate with his staff in his capacity as Commander of the Main Headquarters. He may have been talking to a colleague next door… Therefore, this may have been some sort of self-promotion… As he was a good-looking and charming man, women adored him, so this was somehow beneficial for him,” said Gvozden, commenting the recording.

The indictment charges general Mladic, former Commander of VRS, with genocide against about 7,000 Muslim captives in the days that followed the occupation of the UN protected zone by units under his command on July 11, 1995.
 
The witness said that he had access to many of Mladic’s orders and that none of them contained even vague indication of divergence from military regulations and international conventions.

He described Mladic as “an extremely capable man, who should be respected as a leader”, “philanthropic”, “sociable” and “extremely, extremely strict, which is the primary condition for executing tasks with minimal losses”.

As he said, “soldiers loved” Mladic due to his courage. Just before his trip to the Hague, many people told him: “Send our greetings to the general. He is our hero”.

The prosecutors had no questions for witness Gvozden. Mladic’s Defence is due to continue presenting its evidence tomorrow, September 4, when it will examine its next witness.

Mladic is also charged with the persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout BiH, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, terror against civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.