Markovic: Fictive Crime
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Mile Blagojevic, former intelligence and security affairs officer with the Military Police forces of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, said he was tasked in July 1992 with determining whether Miodrag Markovic had raped minor Z1.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Markovic, former VRS member, with having dragged minor Z1 to a meadow in Dragalovci village, Doboj municipality, in July 1992. He allegedly hit her with a revolver handle, raped her and threatened her by saying she must not tell anyone about the incident or else he would rape her again and kill her family members.
Blagojevic said that, in his opinion, the rape was not committed and Z1 made it all up, as she thought her father and brother would be released from detention because of that.
I went, together with Z1, to the hay pile, where, as she said, the rape had been committed. There were no traces. No blood, clothes or anything….I could just determine that nothing had happened at that place, but I told her to visit a physician in Doboj in order to get a medical certificate, Blagojevic said, adding she did not do that.
The witness said that Z1 agreed to confront the indictee in the Police Station building in Stanari, Doboj municipality, where Markovic was held in detention at the time.
We sat outside for a while and we spoke to each other normally. Z1 was in a good mood and she did not cry. She did not have any scratches on her body. She was as clean as a whistle. We spoke a bit, had coffee together, I told them to reconcile, shake hands and that was it. This is how it happened, Blagojevic said.
During the course of cross-examination the witness said that he was alone when he visited the crime scene and he made his conclusions about the crime independently.
I was alone. I was not accompanied by crime technicians. On the basis of what I personally saw, I determined there were no traces in the hay. The indictee told me he had not done it. How else could I have checked all that? Blagojevic asked.
At this hearing the Trial Chamber rejected the Defences proposal to conduct another examination of Z1 because it might be traumatic for the witness. Instead, the Chamber allowed the Defence to call an expert witness, who will present his opinion on the basis of the existing medical documents.
The next hearing is due to take place on November 18, 2010. D.E.
