Mladic: Out of Control

Wilson, who was the Chief of the UN’s military observers in Sarajevo in the summer of 1992, described the shelling on May 28, 1992 as “a horrible experience”, adding that “thousands of projectiles, including rockets fired from multiple launching systems”, fell on the city and that “the entire city was a target”.

The witness repeated his previous allegations that, by doing that, Mladic fulfilled his threat, which he presented in his presence three days earlier, that he would attack Sarajevo unless all JNA military barracks were evacuated by May 28.

The witness said that, during a meeting dedicated to the evacuation of JNA military barracks in Sarajevo held on the following day the then Chief Security Officer of JNA, General Nedjeljko Boskovic “dissociated” himself from the shelling.

“Boskovic told us that the JNA put pressure on Mladic to stop the attack, but he ignored it. He said that Mladic was out of control,” Wilson said.

At that meeting Sarajevo authority officials played a recording of an intercepted conversation to UN and JNA officers. In that conversation Mladic ordered his units to open fire on the entire Sarajevo quarters. Wilson commented that, according to military regulations, artillery targets were specified “very precisely” within a maximum range of “100 metres”.

The witness said that the UN’s civil official Cedric Tornberry told him later on that, during a meeting held in Belgrade that the then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic condemned the May shelling of Sarajevo, saying that Mladic’s actions were “totally indecent”.

Mladic, former Commander of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is charged with terrorising civilians in Sarajevo by long-lasting artillery and sniper attacks. Also, he is charged with genocide in Srebrenica and seven other Bosnian municipalities, persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and taking UNPROFOR members hostages.

While being cross-examined by Mladic’s Defence attorney Nenad Petrusic, Wilson confirmed, like he did yesterday, that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened fire from mobile mine-throwers situated in the vicinity of Kosevo hospital and the UNPROFOR Command in the Post Office building.

He said that Alija Izetbegovic, Chairman of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, advocated for NATO military intervention against Serb forces, particularly after the shelling of the city in May.

Three minutes prior to the end of the hearing today presiding judge Alphons Orie removed indictee Mladic from the courtroom again, because he gave loud instructions to his Defence attorney despite a decision by the judges and three warnings.

Mladic’s trial will resume on Friday, October 12.