Witness at Mladic Trial Denies Knowledge of Srebrenica Killings

Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, has been charged with orchestrating and executing the Srebrenica genocide, in which approximately 7000 Bosniak men and boys from Srebrenica were killed in the days following the occupation of the UN protected enclave by the Bosnian Serb Army on July 11, 1995.

Jeremic, a former military policeman with the Zvornicka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, initially said he didn’t know about the execution of hundreds of Bosniaks from Srebrenica that occurred in the villages of Orahovac and Pilica in Zvornik in July 1995.

Prosecutor Margaret Hassan said that at a previous trial held at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Jeremic had confirmed that he’d heard about the killing of captives in Orahovac from a fellow soldier who had been present in the village.

“But he didn’t shoot, he left his rifle and didn’t want to participate. That’s what he told me,” Jeremic said. He said he didn’t exactly remember when he had been told about the killing of the Orahovac captives.

“It may have been three months or six months later,” Jeremic said.

According to the charges against Mladic and previous verdicts, the Bosnian Serb Army executed approximately 1000 Bosniak men from Srebrenica in Orahovac on July 14, 1995.

Jeremic confirmed having found out about the murder of approximately 500 captives in the village of Pilica on July 16, 1995. He said it was widely discussed in the military barracks in Zvornik, where he served at the Brigade Command.

Jeremic categorically denied knowing anything about the fate of four men from Srebrenica who were brought to the Brigade Command after having survived the mass killing of approximately 1000 captives on the Branjevo military farm on July 16, 1995.

Although Jeremic participated in their interrogation, he said he didn’t know what happened to the survivors after they were sent to the Batkovic detention camp near Bijeljina.

Prosecutor Hassan called on Jeremic to reveal what happened to the four survivors, who allegedly went missing on their way to the Batkovic detention camp. She asked Jeremic to reveal their fate for the sake of their families.

“I have no idea what happened. Can somebody here believe me?” Jeremic said.

Towards the end of the hearing, presiding judge Alphons Orie complained about the fact that he was unable to read a document, because he forgot to bring his glasses.

In response, Mladic, who was sitting in the far corner of the courtroom, smiled and made a gesture, offering his glasses to the judge.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I do not know whether your glasses and my glasses give the same picture. That is yet to be seen,” judge Orie said.

Mladic has also charged with persecution of Bosniaks and Croats (which reached the scale of genocide in some municipalities), terrorizing the local population of Sarajevo, and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

The trial will continue on April 20, following a break due to Orthodox Easter.