Stanislav Galic Denies Responsibility for Markale

The indictment, which charges Karadzic with terrorising civilians in Sarajevothrough long-lasting shelling and sniping, alleges that a mine-thrower grenadekilled 66 and wounded more than 140 citizens at Markale.

 
In 2006 the Hague Tribunal pronounced a second instance verdict, sentencingGeneral Galic (aged 70) to life imprisonment for terrorising Sarajevoresidents. Under the verdict, Galic was pronounced guilty of the attack onMarkale.
 
Responding to Karadzic’s question on whether he ordered the firing of thegrenade on Markale, Galic said: “I would have never, under any circumstances,ordered somebody to fire a grenade on a market place. We preserved the marketplace for four years, so, why would I, all of a sudden, have ordered theshelling of the market, when everything was over. This is absurd”.
 
When asked whether he received a report from his subordinated units concerningthe opening of fire on the market place, he said that “no reports about firingof the grenade were submitted by lower commands”.
 
Galic said that the VRS proposed that a joint commission investigated theincident, but the Muslim side and UNPROFOR refused the proposal.
 
“As I found out later, the Markale case was investigated by ten commissions. Theywere not able to officially determine the location from which the mine had beenfired. What I am trying to say is the following: ten NATO commissions worked onthe case, but they were not able to determine what exactly had happened. Inthat case, how could have we determined where the mine was fired from and whofired it, knowing that we were not present there?,” Galic said.
 
Responding to Karadzic’s suggestion, the witness denied the allegations that a120 mm grenade could kill and injure more than 200 people.
 
“I think that it was the only mine in the world that could have caused so manylosses,” Galic said, adding that “those losses are regrettable”.
 
The witness said that it was “hard to accept” that so many victims got killedby one mine, adding that “it used to happen that way”. He wondered “where themine body fragments were”, because they were photographed and then they “sortof disappeared”.
 
“This tells me that something was wrong. Other elements of technical nature andthe general situation suggest….that it was not normal,” Galic said.
 
The wartime Commander of VRS forces surrounding Sarajevo indicated that a pieceof information, saying that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina caused themurders at Markale, reached him.
“In a certain way, General Michael Rose, Commander of UNPROFOR, admitted ithere during his testimony, but he opted out by saying that this is what AlijaIzetbegovic was told in order to be forced to participate in negotiations,because he did not always agree to participate in them,” Galic said.
 
During his testimony Galic expressed his regrets about the killing of childrenin Sarajevo: “Honourable Court, I must say that I felt sorry for each person,who was killed and wounded, during the war, particularly for the people on Sarajevobattlefield, which was a difficult one, and, above all, children. Many peopledid not understand me when I said that. They thought that I did not think whatI said and that my actions did not match my words. I have really always feltparticularly sorry for children.”
 
Galic is due to continue testifying in defence of Karadzic, who is also chargedwith genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Muslims and Croats throughoutBosnia and Herzegovina and taking UNPROFOR members hostage, on Monday, April21.