Bosnian Serb Troops ‘Never Ordered to Terrorise Sarajevo’

Savo Simic, who was the artillery officer in the First Sarajevo Brigade of the Bosnian Serb army between 1992 and 1994, told the Hague Tribunal on Thursday that Serb forces around Sarajevo simply defended themselves and did not attack civilians on purpose.

Simic said his unit’s role was “the protection of Serb areas and stopping the Bosnian Army from breaking out of the city”.

“Civilian victims could not be helped… considering that the enemy placed its military posts near civilian facilities,” he told the UN-backed court.

Simic was testifying at the trial of Ratko Mladic, former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, who is charged with terrorising the population of Sarajevo citizens with a long-running campaign of sniping and shelling. He is also on trial for genocide in Srebrenica and other municipalities, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

Simic also claimed that that civilian facilities weren’t fired on without cause, “but only military posts that threatened the Serb side”.

He stood by his claim even when prosecutor Adam Weber showed him a UN report from May 1995 in which it was said that the Bosnian Serb Army fired 1,000 grenades into Sarajevo city centre in one day.

“That was probably our response to fire from the city,” responded Simic, adding added that he himself was injured when his post was shelled by Bosnian Army forces.

Simic said that he thought that “aiming at civilian facilities” was illegal, but “firing at enemy posts, near civilian ones, is not illegal”.

He also denied that the Bosnian Serb fire was not selective. “We only targeted military positions,” he repeated.

The trial continues.

BIRN