No Crime Investigations during War

Theunes says that he has studied hundreds of documents issued by the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, and that he has not come across any orders by VRS Commander Mladic concerning the opening of investigations against soldiers, who violated the laws and customs of war.

Former Belgian officer Theunens said that he had not found any document issued by Serb military courts regarding the criminal prosecution of war-crimes perpetrators.

General Mladic is charged with genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, terror against civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.

The military expert repeated his allegations that Mladic’s directives for VRS operations during the entire course of the war were in line with the strategic goals adopted by the RS Assembly in May 1992.

He said that, under the Directive number 4 from 1993, the VRS Main Headquarters ordered its forces to undertake persistent activities in order to expel the enemy, as well as the Muslim population, from the Podrinje area.

“This directive was implemented as part of achievement of the third strategic goal, i.e. elimination of border between Serbs along the River Drina,” Theunens said.

During Theunens’ testimony the prosecutors tried to prove the involvement of Serbian authorities in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina by presenting Mladic’s notes taken during his meeting with the then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and his associates in the autumn of 1993.

According to Mladic’s notes, during that meeting Jovica Stanisic, Chief of the State Security Service of Serbia, spoke about deployment of his men to the battlefield, demonstrating, as Theunens said, a detailed knowledge about the situation on the frontlines.

Mladic and the Army under his command also had logistical support from the Yugoslav Army.

The trial of Mladic is due to continue next week, when the Defence will cross-examine Theunens.