Mladic Witness Claims ‘No Plan to Take Sarajevo’

A former Bosnian Serb serviceman told Ratko Mladic’s war crimes trial that the military chief had no intention of seizing the capital during the 1992-95 siege.

The protected defence witness codenamed GRM-010, a former member of Bosnian Serb forces, said on Monday that he was present when Mladic said in 1993 said that the idea of conquering Sarajevo was unacceptable because it would cause heavy casualties on both sides.

Instead, the witness said, Mladic wanted “the warring sides to agree to a fair and just peace”.

Mladic is charged with terrorising the population of Sarajevo with persistent mortar and sniper attacks, as well as genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Muslims and Croats across the country, and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

GRM-10 explained Mladic’s command to Bosnian Serb artillery to open fire on the Sarajevo neighborhood of Pofalici in May 1992 as an operation against Bosniak “military and paramilitary formations” and “gangs” who had expelled Serbs from Pofalici by “attacking, burning and looting their houses”.

On an audio recording that was played in the courtroom, Mladic could be heard ordering a subordinate officer to attack the Velusici and Pofalici neighbourhoods with artillery because “there is not a large Serbian population there”.

Mladic said in the recording, which was made during the night between May 28 and May 29, 1992, the aim of the attacks was to not allow people of Sarajevo to sleep and to “blow their minds”.

Mladic’s defence has disputed the authenticity of the recording, claiming that it is a montage made by the Bosniak side.

The trial continues on Tuesday.