Mladic Witness: No Abuse at Manjaca Camp

Bosko Amidzic, who was the wartime commander of the supply service of the Bosnian Serb Army’s First Krajina Corps, told Mladic’s trial at the Hague Tribunal on Tuesday that the Manjaca detention camp had fewer supplies then necessary, but claimed “it was like that everywhere” and that the prisoners ate the same food as their guards.

He said that aid was brought to the camp by charities like Muslim foundation Merhamet and Catholic organisation Caritas. But he denied reports by representatives of those charities who visited the camp with him that prisoners at Manjaca were tortured.

“These reports didn’t reflect the actual state… We saw the same but spoke differently… They emphasised the inhumane treatment, harassment and torture,” Amidzic said.

He also denied a claim by a previous prosecution witness that representatives of Merhamet took about 40 bodies of dead Bosniaks from the Manjaca camp so that they could bury them.

Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, is on trial for genocide in Srebrenica and several other municipalities, the persecution of Muslims and Croats, terrorising the population of Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

During cross-examination, the Hague prosecution cited a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross that said prisoners at Manjaca had “visible traces of recent beating”.

The witness first said that he “can’t say that he didn’t seen traces” but insisted that they weren’t recent. Then he changed his statement and claimed that he “didn’t see that”.

The prosecutor then said that representatives of Merhamet notified the commander of the Bosnian Serb Army’s First Krajina Corp, Momir Talic, that there were “peaceful citizens who were starved and beaten” in the camp and that a third of them were injured.

“That is not true,” responded Amidzic, saying that complaint referred to “other camps run by civilian police”.

Amidiz also said that he “didn’t know” about the killings of Bosniaks at the camp.

“I was not aware of any murders of prisoners in Manjaca,” he said.

Amidzic described Mladic as “real soldier” who “seeks order, work and discipline and all of that on the principle of personal example”, as well as being “very determined and principled.”

“He never, really never, disappointed me,” he said.

The trial continues.