Sabotage and Terroristic Acts

Bjelica, former leader of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS in Sokolac, said that the Party’s main goal was to preserve Yugoslavia and “equality” of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bjelica accused “Muslim extremists” for the breakout of conflict, adding that they committed “sabotage and terrorist” acts at the beginning of 1992.

Speaking about the SDS Crisis Committee, whose member he was, Bjelica said that it was established in April 1992 and that, contrary to the allegations contained in the indictment, it was not a secret body of command and control over Serb forces.

According to the testimony of the witness, the Crisis Committee was totally autonomous and did not receive instructions from the Party leadership. As he said, the Committee worked on maintaining normal living conditions.

Bjelica said that after that Muslims began leaving Sokolac and the surrounding villages, where they were the minority, but Serb authorities did not put pressure on them to leave.

He suggested that Bosniaks departed voluntarily, adding that the fact that most of the Bosniaks returned to their homes after the war was a proof that it was “a good move”.

Karadzic, former President of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, and Republika Srpska, is charged with having persecuted the Bosniak and Croat population in 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Sokolac. Besides that, he is charged with genocide in Srebrenica, terror against civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.

According to Bjelica’s testimony, an offensive conducted by the Second Romanija Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army in Sokolac municipality in the summer of 1992 happened as a consequence of the fact that Bosniaks refused to be disarmed after the number of Serb victims, who got killed in incidents, had increased.

During the “demilitarisation” operation Bosniak forces offered resistance, so there were victims on both sides.

While saying that there were no Serb paramilitary formations, but “informal groups of young people” in Sokolac, Bjelica confirmed that those groups “terrorised both Muslims and Serbs”.

Trifko Komad, former Secretary to the Main and Executive Board of SDS, testified in defence of Karadzic prior to Bjelica. Komad said that the Party tried to prevent war and conflicts. Municipal crisis committees throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina had the same goal – to “protect, not deport non-Serbs”. Komad too said that crisis committees acted independently of the SDS leadership.

During the cross-examination Prosecutor Alan Tieger presented the witness with the fact that, in February 1992 Karadzic informed SDS delegates in the Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina that he had ordered crisis committees to implement the instruction on taking control over municipalities, where Serbs were the minority, in addition to those, where they were the majority, which was referred to as “variant A and variant B”.

The trial of Karadzic is due to continue on Wednesday, April 3.