Karadzic: Angels and Devils

On the second day of his testimony at the trial of Radovan Karadzic, a Hague Prosecution witness says that Bosnian Serb forces conducted “an organised shelling campaign against Sarajevo”.

Responding to Radovan Karadzic’s questions, Jeremy Bowen, a BBC correspondent who reported from Bosnia and Herzegovina on several occasions between 1992 and 1995, said that civilians in Sarajevo were exposed to a “siege which resulted in the death of thousands of people”.

“The sniping and shelling campaign conducted by Bosnian Serbs was done in an organised manner. It targeted the territory of Sarajevo. It was used to put pressure on the Bosnian government and international community, and to spread terror among the people and intimidate them.

“I remember seeing people being killed in their homes and dead children,” Bowen recalled. The journalist began his testimony on Thursday, January 13.

Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska and supreme commander of its armed forces, is on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war committed from 1992 to 1995.

The indictment alleges that Karadzic participated in making plans for and carrying out a sniping and shelling campaign targeted against Sarajevo with the aim of spreading fear among the civilian population. The campaign resulted in the death and wounding of thousands of civilians, including children and the elderly.

When asked by Radovan Karadzic how Serb civilians lived in Sarajevo, Bowen said they “faced difficulties and they undoubtedly suffered”.

“At no point did I suggest that the angels were on the one side and devils on the other. I was trying to say that a war was going on and civilians suffered the most in this war,” Bowen said.

Indictee Karadzic objected to the witness’ remarks that “Serb forces kept Sarajevo citizens under siege”, explaining that “the Serb forces’ strategy was just to keep the First Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina inside the city”.

Responding to questions pertaining to ethnic cleansing, Bowen said he saw “all conflicting parties forcibly resettling civilians belonging to other ethnic groups”.

“However, the fact is that Serbs used ethnic cleansing more than the other parties,” the witness said.

Indictee Karadzic said that Bowen’s statement and war reports were “full of unacceptable and arbitrary statements”.

“I hope my reporting was reliable in every sense. I tried very hard to make correct reports. Of course, there were mistakes because we worked under pressure and within tight deadlines. All stories from the former Yugoslavia spoke about life and death. We tried very hard to make them reliable,” Bowen said.

The trial of Karadzic is due to continue on Monday, January 17.

D.Dž.