Witness Claims Mladic Didn’t Approve Srebrenica Killings

A Defence witness told Ratko Mladic’s trial in the Hague that in July 1995, Dragomir Pecanac took members of the Bosnian Serb Army to kill Srebrenica Muslims acting without orders.

Dragan Todorovic, a member of the Bosnian Serb Army 10th Reconnaissance Division said that Pecanac came to the base of the Division on July 15, 1995 and asked for a group of soldiers for an assignement.

Pecanac, according to the witness, always said he was Mladic’s Chief of security.
“What he did, that was his will… There was no order, there was no order from General Mladic”, said Todorovoc and added that’s why he refused the order.

According to the witness, after a short conversation, Franc Kos as leader of a group came with Pecanac, as did five other members, among them Drazen Erdemovic.

Todorovic explained he gave the members guns and ammo, but added he did not know what the assignment was.

Mladic, former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army is charged with genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995, he is also on trial for genocide in 1992, terrorizing Sarajevo citizens, expulsion of Bosniaks and Croats and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

The Hague tribunal sentenced Erdemovic to five years in prison after he admitted guilt, while the Bosnian court sentenced Kos to 35 for the killings on Branjevo farm.

During cross examination, Todorovic said that even after the group came back he did not know what their assignment was. He said he only learnt about the killings on Branjevo from Erdemovic’s testimony in the Hague.

The trial continues on Tuesday.