Mladic’s ‘war diaries’ dated from June 1991 to late November 1996

Today the prosecution filed a motion seeking to tender into evidence 21 excerpts from the diaries kept by former commander of the VRS Main Staff Ratko Mladic at the trial of Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic. The motion states that Mladic’s diaries were ‘authentic, reliable and relevant’ for the case against the former chiefs of the Serbian state security service. Stanisic and Simatovic are charged with their part in the joint criminal enterprise aimed at ethnically cleansing large parts of Croatia and BH from 1991 to 1995.

There are several reasons why the diaries are relevant, the prosecution contends. The diaries show there was ‘communication and cooperation of the participants of the joint criminal enterprise’, what the purpose of the joint criminal enterprise was and ways in which the accused contributed to their implementation. The excerpts tendered into evidence contain information about the meetings Jovica Stanisic had at the time relevant for the indictment with Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Stojicic Badzo, Milan Martic, Radovan Karadzic, Momcilo Krajisic and Mico Stanisic; Ratko Mladic was always present too. Their names are mentioned in the list of participants of the joint criminal enterprise in the indictment against Stanisic and Simatovic.

The prosecution argues the diary excerpts show that the creation of ethnically pure Serb territories, controlled by the participants of the joint criminal enterprise, was discussed at the meetings. For example, at a meeting Mladic noted down that Milosevic suggested that Serbs should have "complete power" in the RSK. Martic wanted a joint army and secret service to be set up in Yugoslavia, RSK and Republika Srpska. Krajisnik on the other hand talked about dividing BH into a Serb and Muslim part.

Apart from proving the existence of the joint criminal enterprise and its purpose, the diaries show that Jovica Stanisic was much more than just a mediator between Belgrade and the Serbs in Bosnia and Krajina, the prosecution argues. As Mladic noted down, the Serbian secret service chief at one point replies to Karadzic’s question about how many men could be sent to Karadzic for support from Serbia. Stanisic is also mentioned in the context of the involvement of the Serbian state security service in Operation Spider in Western Bosnia. At a meeting, Stanisic spoke about the command of the operation, and said ‘Our man Simatovic must go’. At the next meeting, Stanisic talked about sending his men; the prosecution alleges that ‘his men’ were in fact Arkan’s soldiers.

Arguing the diaries were reliable, the prosecutor said it was clear that Mladic took notes for his own use whenever he could, while other documents and witness testimony ‘corroborate his claims abundantly’. The motion notes that the authenticity of Mladic’s diaries is out of question as they were confiscated in the apartment that belongs to Mladic’s wife. Mladic’s long-term associate Manojlo Milovanovic testified at the trial and identified the handwriting of the former commander of the VRS Main Staff.

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