At a meeting with Karadzic’s legal advisor, General Radivoje Miletic ‘unequivocally’ refused to testify without a binding court order. This prompted the former Republika Srpska president to ask the Trial Chamber to issue such an order, also known as a subpoena, to the former member of the VRS Main Staff. Karadzic’s legal advisor and General Miletic spoke in the UN Detention Unit where Miletic is awaiting the appellate hearing on his appeal against his conviction for the crimes in Srebrenica, for which he was sentenced to 19 years.

Karadzic contends that he has undertaken all the necessary steps to obtain the testimony. Through this witness Karadzic intends to refute the charges of genocide, forcible transfer, deportation and other crimes in Srebrenica in July1995.Miletic has been scheduled to testify on 9 July 2013.

Karadzic expects Miletic to confirm that he didn’t inform the Republika Srpska president either orally or in writing that the detainees from Srebrenica were or would be killed. Miletic should also confirm that Karadzic didn’t know anything about the plan or intent to expel the Muslim population from Srebrenica in line with Directive 7. The information is crucial for his case, the accused argued.

Miletic was the chief of operations in the VRS Main Staff. According to the prosecution, Miletic forwarded combats every day to the RS president on the course of the Srebrenica operation. Furthermore, as he is identified as one of the authors of Directive 7, General Miletic is best positioned to explain the ‘language, purpose and effects of the directive’. Karadzic later signed the directive that is today used as ‘evidence of his participation in the joint criminal enterprise’, the motion states.

Sharing