Bosnian Serb Army Didn’t Deport Civilians from Sanski Most, Says Witness at Mladic Trial

In a written statement lodged in the case file, Basara, the former commander of the Sanska Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, said the army played no role whatsoever in the departure of the non-Serb civilian population from Sanski Most.

“My brigade did not participate in the transport of people, nor in their resettlement,” Basara said.

He claimed that the Bosnian Serb Army had nothing to do with prisons in Sanski Most, and that the army didn’t establish them or have any jurisdiction over them.

“A state of war hadn’t been declared, I was a peacetime commander and I didn’t have the right to form camps and detention centers, nor did I go to any,” Basara said.

Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, has been charged with the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sanski Most is one of the municipalities in which the persecution reached the scale of genocide.

Basara said he was aware of some of the crimes that were committed against Bosniaks and Croats in Sanski Most, but said he tried to prevent such atrocities. He said information regarding such crimes were sent to higher commanding officers in his brigade.

Basara denied allegations that his brigade acted upon the orders of local Serb authorities in Sanski Most. He said he only acted upon the orders of his superior military command.

“The municipal authorities tried to subordinate the brigade to them. As a professional…I didn’t allow it, even though they were trying to do so in every way,” he said.

Basara also claimed that he was unaware of the six strategic war objectives the parliament of Republika Srpska proclaimed in May 1992, among which the first and most comprehensive objective was the separation of Serbs from Bosniaks and Croats.

Basara’s cross-examination by the prosecution, which began today, is expected to conclude tomorrow.

Before Basara’s testimony, defense witnesses Andja Obradovic and Boris Vasiljevic gave very brief testimony via video-link. Obradovic and Vasiljevic were not cross-examined by the prosecutors.

Mladic has been charged with genocide in Srebrenica, terrorizing the local population of Sarajevo, and taking UN peacekeepers hostage. His trial will tomorrow, on April 21.