Pincic: Mental killing

Psychologist Alma Pasalic, who testified as court expert before the Court, said that witness A felt severe consequences of the rape, such as “mental killing of the person and her personality”.
Pasalic testified as a court expert, invited by the State Prosecution, at the trial of Zrinko Pincic, former member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, who is charged of having raped witness A several times in Donje selo village, Konjic municipality, in the period from November 1992 to March 1993.

“Witness A shows permanent changes of personality that comes after a catastrophic experience. This is a reaction to a cumulative trauma, whose most severe components were sexual abuse and rape. The witness shows emotional disturbances, such as dullness, vulnerability and distrust. She also shows signs of shame and some sort of mental death,” Pasalic said.

At this hearing witness Gordana Gligorevic was also examined. She lived in Donje Selo, in a house close to the house of protected witness A. She said that this witness looked “terrible and seemed horrified” when Zrinko Pincic would come.

“The Pincic brothers came there often. They spent time with two soldiers, who stayed in that house. They behaved in a normal way. Whenever Pincic would appear, witness A disappeared and she seemed very afraid,” Gligorevic said, adding that witness A never said what was happening to her.

She said that, in March 1993 she was raped by “a soldier, dressed in the Bosnian Army uniform”, but she did not tell witness A or anyone else about it,because “I did not trust anyone”.

Second Prosecution witness Vjekoslav Oroz, a former member of HVO in Hrasnica, said that he knew Zrinko Pincic, who “issued movement permission to soldiers and civilians”.

The indictment alleges that Pincic was “secretary to the HVO in Hrasnica”, which functioned with the “Herceg Stjepan” Brigade inKonjic.

The witness said that the Unit went from Hrasnica to Konjic in late 1992, adding that their base was situated in Donje Selo.

“I think that the HVO Unit was brought to Donje Selo to protect Serbian civilians. HVO helped the civilians, who were really endangered,” Oroz said, answering the Defence attorney’s questions in the course of cross-examination.

The trial is due to continue on September 23, when the Prosecution will present its material evidence.