Croatian Defence Council Ex-Fighter Denies Pocitelj Rape

Sakoc, who was allegedly accompanied by a man named only as Boban, is charged with taking the victim from the Djuraskovic family’s house in Pocitelj on July 9, 1992 and then raping her.

According to the charges, the two men returned to the Djuraskovic family’s house at around 3am on July 10 and Boban then killed two people, both elderly women.

But Sakoc said he felt his life was under threat from Boban at the time when the victim, identified only by the initials T.C., was taken from her house and when the two elderly women were killed.

Sakoc said that Boban, who he did not know very well, told him he had to drive him to the hamlet of Slanodol.

“When we arrived, I recognized Misko Djuraskovic. I told Boban it was a Croat house. I did not know who the Serbs who were at Misko’s house were.

Boban addressed Djuraskovic by saying to him: ‘What sort of Chetniks are you hiding?’ He then cursed his mother,” Sakoc said.

He said that two elderly women, as well as T.C., were present in the house.

Boban then ordered T.C. to come with them for an examination.

They first took her to Pocitelj, where, according to Sakoc’s testimony, he examined and mistreated the injured party.

The defendant said he was unable to prevent Boban from doing this because he was holding a gun.

Sakoc said they took T.C. to the Dretelj detention camp, where a guard said they had to take her to an old post office building.

He said Boban handed over T.C. to a person named Mirsad Muminovic.

“They took her to the basement. Her hands were tied all the time. I was not alone with her at any moment. I did not rape her,” the defendant said.

He said Boban then put his pistol to his head and told him they should go back to the Djuraskovic family’s house.

When they arrived, the two elderly women were standing in the hallway and Boban shot at them, the defendant continued.

“At that moment I did not know what happened to the bodies and who carried them out. Boban went to bring fuel and set the women on fire. He began roaring, singing Ustasa songs,” he recalled.

The defendant said he did not know that Boban would kill the women.

He insisted that he had to drive Boban because he was afraid for his life and his family’s lives.

Also on Friday, the trial of former Croatian Defence Forces (HOS) members Ivan Medic and Tonco Rajic, who are charged with committing crimes at the Dretelj detention camp, continued with testimony from a former prisoner who recalled that he was told that women were raped at the camp.

Witness Branko Bubalo said he was taken to Dretelj on July 12, 1992, adding that he saw two of the protected witnesses in the trial there.

“Rumours had it that those women were raped. The people who were with me spoke about it. They were raped by soldiers,” Bubalo said.

“The HOS controlled Dretelj. Their soldiers. I do not remember their names. All of them had nicknames,” he added.