Witness Describes Rape at Radosav Milovanovic Trial

The district prosecution of Bijeljina has charged Radosav Milovanovic, a former member of the Bosnian Serb Army, with raping a woman in Sase in May 1992. He allegedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the rape.

Vesna Omic told the district court of Bijeljina that her mother told her about the rape
ten years after it had happened.

Omic said her entire family was hiding in forests surrounding the village of Sase, near Srebrenica, in May 1992, because they feared for their safety.

“While we were in the forest, I heard my mother whispering to others, “They surely killed my Sacir. If they hadn’t, this guy could not have done this to me.’ Her words remained in my memory forever,” Omic said. She said she didn’t realize the meaning of those words until her mother told her she’d been raped.

Omic said they would leave the forest and go to their house in order to prepare meals. She said she accepted an offer of help from Milovanovic, because they didn’t have food.

“He lured her by telling her to go to his house so he could give her food. She thought it was just a friendly gesture, not suspecting anything,” Omic explained.

She said the defendant then threatened her mother with a knife and raped her. She said her mother didn’t want to talk about it for a long time, because she was afraid Milovanovic and other people might harm her and her brother.

When asked by the defense whether she knew Spasenija Kribl, Omic said she did. She said she didn’t know why Kribl gave false testimony about her mother. She said Kribl and her mother met several times after the end of the war.

The defense presented its material evidence, but gave up on the examination of any further witnesses. The presentation of evidence was completed.

The trial will continue on October 30, when the parties will present their closing statements.