Sanctions on Enclaves

Retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, Mirko Trivic says at Ratko Mladic’s trial that Radovan Karadzic’s directive issued in March 1995, instructing the VRS to create “unbearable conditions” for the life and survival of the Muslim population in Srebrenica and Zepa, represented some kind of sanctions on the enclaves.

The witness said that the goal of the Directive no. 7 was to have the VRS separate Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves and “create an impression among the local population that they were prisoners of their own leaders and that they should change them.”

He said that such sanctions were introduced by “higher forces” with the intention of “changing regimes”.

“These were sanctions…but they formulated them in a different way,” said Trivic, former Commander of the Second Romanija Brigade of VRS, which participated in an offensive on Srebrenica, and ended with the fall of the enclave on July 11, 1995.

Just like former RS President Radovan Karadzic, former VRS Commander Mladic is on trial for genocide in Srebrenica.

Witness Trivic said that he did not receive a copy of the Directive or see it at that time. As he said, directives were not considered executive documents, so it was possible not to implement some parts of those documents.

As a piece of evidence, supporting the allegation, the Defence presented the witness with the Directive no. 7.1, which General Mladic made and submitted to his troops on March 31, 1995. In the mentioned Directive the VRS was not tasked with creating “unbearable conditions” in the enclaves.

Mladic’s Defence attorney Branko Lukic suggested that Supreme Commander Karadzic, who signed the Directive no. 7, was responsible for the document, because it was issued by the Supreme Command, despite the fact that the document was prepared by Lieutenant Colonel Radivoje Miletic, former member of the VRS Main Headquarters.  

The witness agreed with his suggestion, adding that Karadzic’s Directive was sent to the Drina Corps of VRS, but not to the Main Headquarters.

The Hague Tribunal previously rendered a first instance verdict against Miletic, sentencing him to 19 years in prison for persecuting the local population of Srebrenica and Zepa, including murders.

During an additional examination Prosecutor Peter Mccloskey reminded his witness that the Superior Command of the Drina Corps tasked him personally with “creating unbearable conditions” for the local population in the two enclaves.

When Trivic said that he “did not remember” that and asked the Prosecutor to present the mentioned order to him, McCloskey did that, drawing the witness’ attention to the fact that the Drina Corps Command ordered its subordinate units, on March 19, 1995, to “create unbearable conditions” in the enclave, literally conveying Karadzic’s directive.

“I do not remember it. It was not addressed to me…At that time I did not hold any positions towards Srebrenica and Zepa… I had no need to read that,” Trivic said.

The Prosecutor then presented Trivic with a quote from his diary, saying that, during a meeting held two days after the fall of Srebrenica, on July 13, 1995, General Radislav Krstic, Commander of the Drina Corps, told the meeting participants that the goal was to “liberate” the entire area “from Turks”.

“Yes, he said that, but the terms Chetnik, Turk, Balija, referred to members of armies. That is how we called eachother,” Trivic said.

Once the examination of Trivic was completed, protected witness RM-306 began his testimony. He is due to continue testifying on May 23.

Mladic is also charged with persecuting Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, terrorising civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.