One or Two Grenade Tails at Markale

The Defence of Ratko Mladic completes the several-day long cross-examination of Prosecution’s expert for mine-throwers Richard Higgs. During the examination it tries to deny the responsibility of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, for a series of attacks in Sarajevo in which civilians were killed.

Denying the findings of an investigation into an explosion at Markale in August 1995, when 43 persons were killed and more than 75 wounded, Mladic’s Defence attorney Branko Lukic said that two mine-thrower grenade tails were found at the explosion location, although Higgs determined that there was only one.

In order to prove the allegation Lukic played a recording made during a crime inspection conducted by UNPROFOR immediately after the explosion, depicting grenade tails at various places and marked with different numbers.

While confirming that the grenade tail could be seen at different locations on the recording, Higgs still stuck to his allegation that only one tail could be seen on photographs he reviewed in The Hague Prosecution.

As said by the Prosecution’s expert, he made the conclusion on the basis of the fact that the same damages could be noticed on the tail.

When asked whether he knew if the UNPROFOR investigators allowed anybody to move the grenade tail, Higgs said that he “has not seen evidence about that”. Responding to a question on whether Sarajevo police usually moved objects, or in fact tails, during investigations, the witness said that he “does not believe so” and that he “does not know”.

Former Commander of the Republika Srpska Army Mladic is charged with terror against civilians in Sarajevo by long-lasting shelling and sniping.

He is also on trial for genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.

The trial of Mladic is due to continue on Monday, November 11.