Witness Thankful to Tribunal

As Ratko Mladic’s trial continues, Defence witness Velimir Dunjic, former Commander of the Igman Brigade with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, denied having opened disproportionate artillery fire at targets in Sarajevo during 1992 and 1993.

During the cross-examination the Hague Prosecution presented Dunjic with the fact that Stanislav Galic, Commander of the VRS Sarajevo-Romanija Corps, who was his superior, accused him of disproportionate use of artillery, while testifying at the trial of former Republika Srpska President Radovan Karadzic.
 
Dunjic responded by saying that he had never heard of it before and that, “on the basis of documents, one can see that I never received a warning for using artillery in a disproportionate manner.”
 
“In case of an attack, I used all resources to destroy the enemy – that is true… I do not know what disproportionate use of weapons is,” the witness said.
 
Dunjic also said that the reason for his replacement as Commander of the Igman Brigade of VRS was not disproportionate fire opened on Sarajevo, as alleged by Galic, but his physical conflict with Galic.
 
Dunjic testified at the trial of former Commander of the VRS Main Headquarters Ratko Mladic, who is charged with having terrorised local citizens in Sarajevo by long-lasting sniper and artillery campaign. He is also on trial for genocide in Srebrenica and seven other Bosnian municipalities, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats and taking UNPROFOR members hostage.  
 
Radovan Karadzic is currently on trial for those same crimes at The Hague, while Stanislav Galic was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes in Sarajevo.
 
During his testimony Dunjic denied having known of any crimes committed by members of his Brigade, including a group of “Seselj’s men”, which was led by Branislav Gavrilovic, also known as Brne.
 
He stuck to that statement even after the prosecutor quoted a report by VRS security bodies, which called him “the main organizer of paramilitary formations”.
 
When asked if it was true that he had never initiated a disciplinary procedure against Gavrilovic’s men, he said: “I think that is true”.
 
At the end of his statement Dunjic thanked the Tribunal for having allowed him to testify in defence of “great Serb hero Ratko Mladic”. After that presiding judge Alphons Orie reprimanded him, reminding him that Mladic was charged with war crimes.
 
The trial of Mladic is due to continue on Monday, September 1.