Bosniak Ex-Fighter Acquitted of Wartime Rape in Sarajevo

Presiding judge Halil Lagumdzija said that the court “thoroughly analysed all the evidence” and found that the prosecution failed to prove Erovic’s guilt.

According to Lagumdzija, the key piece of evidence for the prosecution was a statement given by the woman in 2015, in which she recognised a photograph of Erovic and said he was one of the men that raped her.

But the defence produced a statement given by the same witness in 2001 in Belgrade in which she mentioned Erovic but did not say that he raped her, Lagumdzija noted.

The woman, whose identity was protected and was codenamed Witness A, did not testify in court during Erovic’s trial because she is too ill.

“The chamber took into consideration that a conviction cannot be based on witnesses which are not able to testify in court,” said Lagumdzija.

“The only way this can be done is if there are other pieces of evidence which corroborate the statement, which was not the case in this trial, since the two statements given by witness A are contradictory,” the judge added.

Erovic was previously charged alongside Senad Dzananovic and Edin Gadzo, also members of Territorial Defence units in Sarajevo, but his case was separated from the others.

The case against Dzananovic and Gadzo is still ongoing.

The prosecution can appeal against Erovic’s acquittal.