Karadzic: Support to Paramilitary Units

At the trial of Radovan Karadzic, witness Milorad Davidovic begins testifying about crimes committed by members of paramilitary formations and “Bosnian Serb forces” against the Bosniak and Croat population in several municipalities.

 Davidovic, former Chief Inspector with the Yugoslav Federal Secretariat for Internal Affairs, said that, during the course of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 he found out about murders and the robbing of people.

Davidovic said that indictee Karadzic supported the arrival of paramilitary formations from Serbia to the Sarajevo area.
 
“In Lukavica I met with General Mladic. I told him about the robbery incidents. I said that they had to be prevented. Karadzic entered the room unannounced. We were then told that Arkan’s guys had arrived and they were in front,” the witness said.
 
He said that the three of them went out, adding that one of the young men said they had come to help them liberate Sarajevo.
 
“When we continued our discussion later on, General Mladic was angry, because he was against paramilitary formations, and particularly ‘Arkan’s’ men.  Karadzic said: ‘Let it be. We have invited them. They should help in liberating Sarajevo,” Davidovic said.
 
The Hague Tribunal charged Zeljko ‘Arkan’ Raznatovic, former Commander of the “Serbian Voluntary Guard” paramilitary formation, with war crimes, but he died in Belgrade in 2000 prior to the beginning of his trial.
 
Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, is on trial for genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war. Those same crimes are charged upon Ratko Mladic, former Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS.
 
Davidovic said that he used to see some members of paramilitary formations, who were otherwise members of the Serbia ’s Unit for Special Operations.
 
The witness said that Karadzic and other members of the Republika Srpska leadership knew about the presence of paramilitary units in Bosnia and Herzegovina and held meetings with Arkan in Belgrade.
 
Davidovic said that, later on he participated in an operation to arrest members of paramilitary formations in Brcko, Bijeljina and Zvornik.
 
“During the course of the arrest of ‘Zute ose’ members in Zvornik I found out about the murders they had committed,” Davidovic said.
 
Nebojsa Ristic, the second Hague Prosecution witness at this hearing, used to be one of Karadzic’s bodyguards. He said that the indictee visited Srebrenica on August 4, 1995, but he did not meet with representatives of local authorities or the Army.
 
Ristic found out about the murders of Bosniaks in July 1995 from media reports later on. He said he knew nothing about it and nobody mentioned it during the course of his visit in August.
 
Under the indictment, Karadzic is charged with having participated in genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995.
 
The trial is due to continue on Tuesday, June 28 with the examination of witness Davidovic.