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A compilation of video recordings of the events that took place in Srebrenica from July 10 to 13, 1995 depicts the local population going to the UN Base in Potocari.
The recording depicts the entering of members of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, and Ratko Mladic, the then Commander of VRS, into Srebrenica. Mladic is currently on trial at The Hague for having committed genocide in Srebrenica and other crimes in BiH.
On that occasion the camera recorded Mladic saying: “Here we are in Serbian Srebrenica on July 11, 1995. On the eve of another big Serb holiday we are giving this town to the Serbian people as a present. The time has finally come for us to get even with the Turks in this area following the uprising against Dakhias.”
Besides that, the video recording depicts a line of Srebrenica men walking through the woods, as well as Mladic’s meeting with representatives of UNPROFOR and civil authorities in Srebrenica. An UNPROFOR representative said at the meeting that between 15 and 20 thousand refugees were in the UNPROFOR Base and that they did not have enough food, water and medications.
Mladic guaranteed security of the civilian population, requesting armed men to hand over their weapons.
“I guarantee that all those who hand over their weapons, will survive. You have my word, as a man and general, that I shall use my influence to help the innocent Muslim population. (…) I should get a clear stand of your representative on whether you want to survive or disappear,” Mladic was recorded saying.
The recordings further depict the departure of a convoy of women and children from Potocari, as well as the surrender of men from the woods. At some stage the recording shows corpses in front of the Agricultural Co-operative in Kravica.
The video recording was played at the trial of Saric, former Commander of the Special Police Brigade, who is charged with having ordered members of police forces to guard the road between Bratunac and Konjevic Polje and capture several thousand Srebrenica residents, who were walking through the woods in an attempt to reach the territories controlled by the Army of BiH.
The indictment alleges that members of the Special Police Brigade then participated in escorting several hundreds of captives to the Agricultural Co-operative in Kravica, where they killed them.
The trial is due to continue on June 16.
