Mile Poparic, defence witness at Rako Mladic trial

After seven days in the witness stand, military expert Mile Poparic completed his evidence today after a re-examination by defense counsel Lukic and a few additional questions by prosecutor Edgerton. Poparic wrote four expert reports on sniper incidents in Sarajevo for Ratko Mladic's defense. In his testimony, Poparic defended his findings that the Bosnian Serb army wasn't responsible for the sniper attacks on Sarajevo citizens during the four-year siege.

In the examination-in-chief, Poparic claimed there was no line of sight from the Bosnian Serb military positions to the locations where some sniper incidents listed in the indictment occurred. In the cross-examination, Poparic rejected some of his own findings, prompting the defense to try to 'rehabilitate' that part of the evidence. Poparic went too far in his bid to explain things his way that presiding judge Orie warned the defense to keep the examination within the sphere of Poparic's expertise.

The 'witness is making assumptions, comparing statements, telling us what he has seen, evaluating the evidence and the only thing left is for him to tell us what the judgment should be', the presiding judge said. He also noted that the witness had spent 80 per cent of the time talking about the things that were not the subject of his analysis. Although the presiding judge immediately after this scathing attack allowed the defense to call evidence that went beyond the scope of their expert's evidence to cover the topics addressed by the prosecution expert, Orie was adamant that Poparic should only speak about topics within his expertise.

Poparic then continued his testimony, discussing several incidents in which Sarajevo civilians were killed or wounded. The witness noted that in those situations, the Serb snipers couldn't see clearly because of buildings or trees or because it was dark.

Ratko Mladic is on trial for his involvement in four joint criminal enterprises. The artillery and sniper terror campaign against the citizens of Sarajevo is one of the enterprises. Before Poparic testified in a bid to exonerate the Bosnian Serb army for sniper incidents, another defense expert, Zorica Subotic, claimed that the Bosnian Serbs were not to blame for artillery attacks.

Ratko Mladic's trial continues on Monday, 9 November 2015.

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