Trial of former VJ chief to start after all

The trial of former Yugoslav Army (VJ) Chief-of-Staff Momcilo Perisic, accused of war crimes in Bosnia and Croatia, will open today after all. The trial, that had been due to start on Monday, was postponed because, according to the Tribunal’s official explanation, the line-up of the Trial Chamber had still to be officially confirmed. Trial of former VJ chief to start after all It was confirmed in court yesterday that no official authorization had yet arrived from the UN Security Council of the extension of the mandates of Judges Michele Picard and Pedro David, from France and Argentina respectively, until the end of the Perisic trial, which was why the start of the trial was postponed indefinitely. According to the Hague indictment raised in 2005, the general is accused of, among other things, the shelling of Zagreb, the siege of Sarajevo, and crimes against Muslims in Srebrenica, although not genocide. The prosecution will try to prove that Perisic, even though he was in Belgrade the entire time, was a superior to former JNA officers, and that at the time of the events in question, he was also in charge of officers of the Republic of Srpska Army (VRS) and the Republic of Serb Krajina Army (VRSK), who were the direct perpetrators of the crimes listed in the indictment. A great deal of evidence presented to the court during the Slobodan Milosevic trial will be reintroduced. The prosecution will once again try to prove that Belgrade’s role in the events that took place during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia was more significant than is generally believed, and that the VJ was directly involved in the crimes perpetrated. B92 understands that several expert witnesses have been analyzing relations between VJ HQ in Belgrade and the VRS and VRSK. One of them has focused in particular on an analysis of the minutes from Military Defense Council (VSO) meetings. One curiosity of the trial is that the prosecution was counting on Perisic as a potential key witness in the Milosevic case, who was expected to confirm the alleged link between the three armies. However, Perisic refused to do so, even though, certain sources claim, it could have spared him from being indicted.

Trial of former VJ chief to start after all

It was confirmed in court yesterday that no official authorization had yet arrived from the UN Security Council of the extension of the mandates of Judges Michele Picard and Pedro David, from France and Argentina respectively, until the end of the Perišić trial, which was why the start of the trial was postponed indefinitely.

According to the Hague indictment raised in 2005, the general is accused of, among other things, the shelling of Zagreb, the siege of Sarajevo, and crimes against Muslims in Srebrenica, although not genocide.

The prosecution will try to prove that Perišić, even though he was in Belgrade the entire time, was a superior to former JNA officers, and that at the time of the events in question, he was also in charge of officers of the Republic of Srpska Army (VRS) and the Republic of Serb Krajina Army (VRSK), who were the direct perpetrators of the crimes listed in the indictment.

A great deal of evidence presented to the court during the Slobodan Milošević trial will be reintroduced. The prosecution will once again try to prove that Belgrade’s role in the events that took place during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia was more significant than is generally believed, and that the VJ was directly involved in the crimes perpetrated.

B92 understands that several expert witnesses have been analyzing relations between VJ HQ in Belgrade and the VRS and VRSK. One of them has focused in particular on an analysis of the minutes from Military Defense Council (VSO) meetings.

One curiosity of the trial is that the prosecution was counting on Perišić as a potential key witness in the Milošević case, who was expected to confirm the alleged link between the three armies. However, Perišić refused to do so, even though, certain sources claim, it could have spared him from being indicted.