Bosnian Serb Fighter’s Trial Hears ‘Rape’ Allegation

The protected prosecution witness, codenamed ‘A-1’, told the court in Sarajevo that Dragicevic, known as ‘Krompir’ (‘Potato’), took her to his apartment where they had sex.

She said that he was “not violent” but that she did not resist because she was afraid. Dragicevic denies raping her.

A-1 said that she was drafted into a forced-labour unit in June 1992. In the summer of 1993 or 1994 “some guys” appeared at her door and “told me that Krompir wanted me to come to wash his dishes”.

The witness said that she told them to let him know that she was not there, but then Dragicevic, who was in uniform, arrived at her door and took her to his apartment in the Digitron Buje residential building in Sarajevo’s Grbavica district.

“When we arrived he asked me if I wanted a drink. I told him I did not drink alcohol. He then took me to another room, where I saw a revolver, ammunition belt and knife. He had sexual intercourse with me in that room,” the witness said.

She said that Dragicevic ordered her to take a shower and then had sex with her again.

Asked by the prosecutor whether she offered any resistance, the witness responded: “It was wartime. I was a Muslim. I was scared.”

According to the indictment, Dragicevic raped A-1 in July 1993.

As a former Bosnian Serb Army serviceman, he is also charged with robbing and abusing non-Serbs in the Sarajevo settlements of Grbavica, Vraca and Kovacici between May 1992 and December 1994

Dragicevic insisted that he did not rape the witness.

“I know A-1 very well. I know what she used to do. I offered her money or something else for that,” he said.

A-1 also testified that when a Bosniak family was beaten up at the Digitron Buje building, she and other members of her forced-labour unit cleaned up afterwards.

“I was told that they had been beaten by Batko [convicted war criminal Veselin Vlahovic] and Krompir,” she said.

Bosnian Serb fighter Vlahovic was jailed for 45 years last month after a separate trial in which he was found guilty of 60 different crimes including around 35 murders and 11 rapes.

Dragicevic’s trial is due to continue on April 17.