Nenad Davidovic, defence witness at Rako Mladic trial

The trial of the Ratko Mladic, former VRS Main Staff commander, continued with the evidence of Nenad Davidovic. The witness, a medical doctor, was a member of the Crisis Staff in Sanski Most and the chief medical officer in the VRS Sana Brigade. In his statement to the defense Davidovic said that the SDA (Party of Democratic Action) had armed and organized Muslims in Sanski Most and the neighboring villages of Vrhpolje, Trnovo, Hrustovo and Kamengrad.

Davidovic also mentioned the incidents in the villages of Vrhpolje and Skrljevita. As alleged in the indictment, in Vrhpolje the Serb troops forced a group of captured Muslims to jump into the river and then fired at them. The witness said this was done to avenge the killing of 13 Serbs by a Muslim extremist. According to Davidovic, Danilusko Kajtez was responsible for the murder in the village of Skrljevita. Kajtez, the witness claimed, was not under the control of the VRS. Asked by the judges if there was any evidence to support his claim, the witness replied that ‘there were rumors in the town'.

In the cross-examination, Davidovic said he was aware of only one case when a prisoner was beaten up in Betonirka. The prosecutor asked Davidovic if there were any rumors about the beatings being more frequent. 'I cannot make any claims about things I didn't see`, the witness responded. Davidovic agreed he had erroneously claimed in his statement to the defense that medical doctors made daily rounds in the collection centers in Sanski Most. In fact, a doctor visited the sports hall while a medical technician went to Betonirka. The witness didn't know anything about the Krinks prison facility.

As he was questioned by prosecutor Edward Jeremy, Davidovic noted that about 3,000 'loyal' Muslims remained in Sanski Most after the conflict broke out. According to the witness, the Serb authorities 'protected them as much as possible' until Arkan and his unit, 'the Tigers', arrived in the area in 1995. Those who were 'not loyal' were expelled together with their families. The people who were 'not loyal' were mostly those that voted for the BH secession from Yugoslavia at the referendum.

The witness explained that the people who were 'not loyal' were 'extremists', eager to take up arms and fight, as well as those who opposed the policies of the Serb authorities. Judge Orie asked the witness why political opponents who had a democratic right to a different opinion were also expelled. Davidovic replied that it was a 'state of war' and that he personally would not have expelled them. The witness didn't know whose decision it was.

The prosecutor noted that Davidovic was involved in the decision making process, because he attended the Crisis Staff meetings when plans were drawn to expel the non-Serbs. The judges didn't fail to note that in his war diary from late May 1992, the witness made the following entry: 'expel forever'. Dr. Davidovic wasn't able to tell what he had meant. 'I wouldn't know', the witness told Judge Moloto.

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