Mladic Attended Wedding in Belgrade During Srebrenica Genocide, Defense Witnesses Say

Testifying for the defense, Biljana and Zarko Stojkovic said Ratko Mladic was the best man at their wedding on July 16, 1995. Mladic’s wife, Bosiljka, confirmed that Mladic was in Belgrade during the Srebrenica genocide and said he did not issue any orders.

Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, has been charged with orchestrating and ordering the Srebrenica genocide, in which 7000 Bosniak civilians were killed by Bosnian Serb Army forces after the fall of Srebrenica on July 11, 1995. Most of the killings took place between July 14-17, 1995.

Prosecutors allege that despite having been in Belgrade, Mladic had full control and command over the Bosnian Serb Army during that time. While in Belgrade he attended meetings with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic and international officials.

Biljana Stojkovic said Ratko and Bosiljka Mladic came to her apartment on their wedding day, just after 9am. She said they attended their wedding at the church as well as a lunch which was served at a restaurant afterwards. Biljana and Zarko Stojkovic said they left the wedding party at around 5:30pm on the same day.

Responding to questions by defense attorney Branko Lukic, Biljana and Zarko Stojkovic said Mladic didn’t use any communication devices while at their wedding. Biljana Stojkovic said she was surprised Mladic was “fully dedicated to the wedding and us.”

Prosecutors and presiding judge Alphons Orie were interested in finding out whether Mladic used the toilet during the party that followed the wedding. Biljana Stojkovic said she could not exclude that possibility, but did not personally see him leave.

The Stojkovics said the tape recordings of their wedding party disappeared from the home of Biljana’s mother in Krusevac while they were on an official trip abroad. They said their wedding photos disappeared, along with photos of their children with Mladic, taken later on.

“Were they stolen? I didn’t say that. I would not dare say something like that, as I am not a competent body,” Zarko Stojkovic said.

The defense introduced Biljana Stojkovic as a journalist from Belgrade and the holder of a doctoral degree in the field of development and strategy. The defense said she defended her doctoral dissertation at the Military Academy of the University of Defense.

Zarko Stojkovic said he was an active lieutenant-colonel with the Serbian Army.

Mladic also been charged with persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina (which reached the scale of genocide in six municipalities), terrorizing the local population of Sarajevo with long-lasting shelling and sniping, as well as taking UNPROFOR members hostage. The trial will resume tomorrow, August 20.