Marković: Alleged Rape Was a “Set-Up”

Markovic, former military policeman with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, said he went to the injured party’s house as per an order issued by the Civil Police Command, which had received a report saying that some gatherings were taking place next to her house.

“I was standing on the road in front of the gate and spoke to that girl. She said her brother and father were detained, adding that her second brother was not detained because he was disabled. She told me she used to work as a waitress in Doboj, but went to school in Sarajevo.

“I told her my name was Miodrag Markovic and asked her to come to the check-point the following day because I would be on duty, so I could call Doboj and get information about her brother and father,” Markovic said.

The indictee said that one day later he was urgently called to the Command because they had received a report saying that he had raped witness Z1.

“They ordered me into custody immediately. I stayed in the Police Station in Stanari village, Doboj municipality, for seven days. The injured party came, accompanied by security officer Mile Blagojevic, on the third day. I told Mile I had not done it. In the end the injured party said that her mother had told her to say I had. She apologised to me and I apologised to her,” the indictee said.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Markovic with having dragged minor Z1 to a meadow in Dragalovci village, Doboj municipality in July 1992, hit her with a revolver handle, raped her and threatened her by saying she must not speak about it or else he would rape her again and kill her family members.

Mile Blagojevic testified in defence of the indictee at this trial in November 2010.

Momir Bogdanic, former reserve policeman with the Police Station in Stanari village, which also covered Dragalovci village, testified at today’s hearing in Markovic’s defence.

Witness Bogdanic told the Court he drove active policeman Velimir Jovic, who conducted an interview with the injured party and her mother.

“The four of us sat in front of the house and spoke about the report which had been filed. The girl did not have any injuries and she did not show any torn clothes to us. She did not cry. There were no traces at the location which she mentioned as the rape scene in her statement,” Bogdanic said.

The witness said that as per her mother’s instructions, the girl did not want them to take her to a gynecologist, saying they wanted her father, who was in jail at the time, to accompany her.

“We were interested in finding out why her mother did not let her visit a gynecologist. We concluded that they had reported the case with the aim of getting her father out of prison,” the witness said.

The trial is due to continue on March 2, when the Defence will examine two expert witnesses.