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The president of the Bosnian state court, Meddzida Kreso, said at the OSCE event on Thursday that the judiciary was still far from bringing to justice all those responsible for sexual attacks during the conflict, but victims who were courageous enough to testify have helped to establish the truth.
“The voice of the victims was heard many times in the courtrooms of the Bosnian courts, and shocking stories of what they lived through followed one after another. Due to these statements, crimes committed from 1992 until 1995 were discovered,” said Meddzida Kreso, president of the state court.
“But one of the key issues that goes beyond the work of the judiciary is stigma, because people feel ashamed and do not want to talk about it,” Kreso added.
She added that it is necessary to change people’s views so that perpetrators are stigmatised rather than victims.
Kreso was speaking at the launch of a new report on the issue by the OSCE mission to Bosnia entitled Fighting Against Impunity for Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Progress and Challenges.
Nela Sefic, legal advisor to the OSCE in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that from 2005 until 2013, 33 people were convicted of wartime sexual crimes and 12 others acquitted.
“The total number of charges is small compared to the crimes, but the rate of 73 per cent convictions so far shows progress,” said Sefic.
Sefic said that judges and prosecutors had demonstrated understanding and clearly articulated the specifics of the sexual violence.
She also noted there have been many uncertainties in indictments and said that she hoped that indictments would be more accurate in future when addressing sexual violence.
“The definition of the nature of sexual violence is important for the development of historical testimonies… for removing stigma and for the reparation rights of victims of sexual violence,” Sefic said.
Jo Lomas, charge d’affaires at the British Embassy in Sarajevo, said that NGO experts and witness support staff needed more training on the issue in order to tackle the problem more effectively.
“Without the engagement of all these people, including prosecutors, it is unlikely that witnesses would agree to testify. It is time that Bosnia goes into the fight on all levels,” said Lomas.
Gordana Tadic, head of the war crimes department at the prosecutor’s office, said that she has 17 cases involving sexual violence on her books at the moment, with another 108 still under investigation.
