Witness Information about Rapes in Grbavica

Protected witness A-4 told the Trial Chamber that during the war she was recruited by a working squad along with protected witness A-1 and ten other women from the Grbavica neighbourhood of Sarajevo.
 
“I received an order to report to a headquarters in the Digitron Buje building. I was tasked with working in the kitchen and cleaning the Digitron premises,” the witness said.
 
According to the witness’ testimony, she saw indictee Zoran Dragicevic, known as Krompir, in those premises on two or three occasions.
 
“When Krompir, Batko and another soldier entered the room, all the women fled. I stayed alone. They asked me how I was doing and whether I could do it all by myself. I told them that I was managing somehow,” the witness said.
 
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Dragicevic, a former member of the Republika Srpska Army, with having committed war crimes against civilians in the Grbavica, Kovacici and Vraca neighbourhoods of Sarajevo. The alleged crimes include rape and sexual abuse of victims, and the torture, robbing and beating of civilians.
 
Veselin Vlahovic, also known as Batko, was sentenced under a first instance verdict pronounced in March this year. He was handed down 45 years in prison for committing crimes in the Grbavica, Vraca and Kovacici neighbourhoods.
 
As indicated by witness A-4, the indictee “treated her in a normal manner”. The witness said that when she went to the part of Sarajevo controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, she met protected witness A-1, who told her that Dragicevic had raped her.
 
“She told me that Krompir came one day and took her to the Digitron building, where he raped her,” the witness said.
 
Court expert Senadin Ljubovic was due to testify at this hearing, but he died last week. Prosecutor Behaija Krnjic proposed that his findings be read and material evidence presented at the next hearing.
 
The trial is due to continue on May 15.