Vukovic: Evidence Procedure Completed

Radmilo Vukovic’s defence proposed to the court an examination by a neuropsychiatrist, which was done at the Clinical centre in Sarajevo.The court-appointed expert also analysed the written report of victim-witness A, and gave his opinion on her and her testimony.

Vukovic is charged that he raped A on multiple occasions during the summer of 1992, after which she left Foca in the autumn of that year and go to the territory controlled by the Army of BiH, where she gave birth to the indictee’s child.

In her testimony before the Trial Chamber in Sarajevo, the witness said that when Vukovic raped her for the first time, he physically abused her and she lost her consciousness and does not remember the actual act.

Doctor Senadin Ljubovic said that medicine is aware of cases when victims can lose memory or consciousness due to significant stress.

“Different persons  react differently, and it is known that women tend more to avoid facing events which they want to leave behind. That is possible in theory and I have seen it in practice,” Dr. Senadin Ljubovic said.

Based on the testimony of protected witness A which he read, Dr. Ljubovic believes that it can be said that the witness has all the elements of trauma which she claims to have survived.

“This, unfortunately, is the common story of a rape victim,” the doctor said.

In presenting the results of the examination of the indictee, the doctor said that the Vukovic is a man who seems to be sociable, open and emotional, but that it was not possible to enter more deeply into the indictee’s personality because “he was resistant”.

“It was passive resistance and psychological strategy when a person is trying to show his best side,” the doctor explained and added “Vukovic’s above average intelligence enables better defence”.

He also noted that during examination, tests indicated that Vukovic’s intelligence is “somewhat above average”.

Closing arguments of both sides are scheduled for April 11, 2007.