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While being cross-examined by Branko Lukic, Defence attorney of Mladic, Van Lynden stuck to his earlier statement that most of the grenades hit civilian facilities that were not used for opening fire on Serb positions.
Mladic, former Commander of the VRS Main Headquarters, is charged with terrorising civilians in Sarajevo by shelling and using sniper fire over the city. Also, he is charged with committing genocide in Srebrenica and seven other municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and taking international soldiers hostage.
Defence attorney Lukic suggested that Van Lynden did not know where the positions of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina were, so he said in his reports that the VRS was randomly shelling the entire city.
The witness confirmed that he did not know the exact location of each ABiH unit, but he said that he visited their positions a few times. Denying the allegation that ABiH opened sniper and artillery fire from the city hospital and the Marshal Tito Barracks in the downtown area, Van Lynden said that he never saw that during his stay in the city in 1992, although he and his crew were situated in the hospital, which was hit by grenades.
“In your reports you said that Sarajevo was being wiped out. Don’t you agree that it has not been wiped out?” Mladic’s Defence attorney asked. “The city was heavily shelled, but it was not completely wiped out,” Van Lynden said.
The wartime Sky TV correspondent says that the VRS was “very capable” of “directing precise and aimed fire” towards military targets. However, as he said, the artillery fire that was targeted against Sarajevo was unselective.
The witness partially accepted an allegation by Mladic’s Defence that “many armed civilians” were present in Sarajevo, adding that he saw armed civilians, as well as uniformed people.
However, Van Lynden denied Defence attorney Lukic’s allegation that the local Sarajevo authorities did not allow “thousands of Serbs” and other civilians to leave Sarajevo. The witness said that, “just like in any other war”, it was difficult to cross the frontlines, but he saw civilians, who managed to do it.
When asked if he knew that the Mujahideen fought for ABiH, Van Lynden said that he did not see any of them, although he did hear about them. He said that, while he was visiting a position held by Bosnian Serbs, he met a Japanese man who introduced himself as “a Japanese Chetnik”.
During the session today, Judge Bakone Moloto, who is chairing the trial in absence of presiding judge Alphons Ori, warned Mladic not to disturb the order in the courtroom, or else he would be removed. This happened after Mladic had spoken to his Defence attorneys too loudly.
The trial of Mladic is due to continue on Thursday, August 23.
