ANALYSIS – Verdict Forthcoming in Slavko Savic Rape Trial

Savic, a former member of the Light Infantry Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, has been charged with the rape of a woman in the village of Semizovac in the Vogosca area in May and June 1993.

According to the indictment, the injured party and her young daughter were in their house, when Savic came to their home, held a pistol to the injured party’s head and forced her to get into a car. Savic raped her, while threatening both the injured party and her child’s life.

The state prosecution has examined seven witnesses, including the injured party (referred to by the pseudonym A during the trial) and her daughter. The defense examined three witnesses and presented material evidence.

Most of the witnesses testified under protective measures. The public was also excluded during certain testimony in order to protect the privacy and identities of the witnesses.

Witness Ana Stojadinovic said A confided in her and told her a man named Slavko or Slavisa Savic raped her. Stojadinovic said A got pregnant and had an abortion as a result of the rape.

Stojadinovic said A’s mental health was negatively affected by her rape, and described her as “nervous, unstable, behaving in a horrible manner.”

A’s testimony was closed to the public.

A protected witness known as D, on the other hand, said A and Savic had a close romantic relationship, which she described as “the opposite of violence and rape.”

“She’d say she had a good time with the defendant…he used to visit her at her place. I was there as well. He’d come uniformed, but I don’t know if he was armed,” D said.

D said she didn’t know A was pregnant and didn’t help her get an abortion. She also said she never noticed any injuries on A’s body.

Relations Between Savic and Injured Party Under Scrutiny

Testifying for the defense, witness Dusan Cadzo said he met A at a cafe after the war.

“I went to the cafe with the defendant. Witness A was there as well…they greeted each other. Their meeting was friendly, a really pleasant one. She sat with us and we had a drink together,” Cadzo said.

Milorad Rajic, also testifying for the defense, said A was protected and that nothing bad could have happened to her.

“As far as I know, nobody mistreated witness A. Witness D’s husband protected her. She used to work at his cafe,” Rajic said, confirming that A socialized with D.

Rajic said he knew Savic from before the war, adding that his “behaviour was not asocial.”

Witness Milos Jovanovic said A used to work as his cafe during the war, and didn’t know that she had been raped. He said he didn’t know whether A had a relationship with Savic.

Jovanovic said he used to pay A for her work. He said he didn’t remember whether Savic had a car, nor a situation in which he saved A from some soldiers.

The prosecution invited A and her daughter to testify a second time, but their testimony was closed to the public. The public was also told that Razija Sejdic’s testimony would be held in a closed session due to unexplained technical reasons.

Injured Party Experiencing Severe Depression

During the trial court expert and psychiatrist Alma Bravo–Mehmedbasic said A suffered from a severe form of depression and that her ability to lead a normal life was reduced by 25 percent due to the torture she endured. The findings were presented as per a request by A’s authorized legal representative, with the aim of fulfilling a property and legal claim.

“I’ve registered permanent personality changes due to previous [experiences of] post-traumatic stress. She has physical symptoms, and a change of sexual identity as a result of the sexual torture she endured,” Bravo-Mehmedbasic said.

Bravo-Mehmedbasic said A had had an alcohol abuse problem, but that she currently abstains from drinking and is on medication. She said A had lost her self respect, felt her body had less worth, that her relationships had changed and that she’d been stigmatized.

Bravo-Mehmedbasic said that based on a statement given to her by A, she confirmed that she had in fact had been raped and that she hadn’t previously met A.

A specified her legal and property claim, which included a reduced request for compensation. The defense objected to the claim, saying it was unfounded and that the request for compensation was too high.

At the same hearing, Savic addressed the court. He said he wasn’t prepared to compensate A, because he didn’t feel he was guilty of raping her.

Presenting its closing statement, the state prosecution prosecution said the evidence was indisputable and indicated that Savic had raped A in Vogosca. The prosecution called on the court to hand down a verdict of conviction.

The defense argued that the state prosecution’s evidence was contradictory and had no strength at all, and called on the court to acquit Savic of all charges.

Speaking on behalf witness A, legal representative Nedzla Sehic presented the legal and property claim. Sehic said the claim had been filed, so that the court would be obliged to order the defendant to compensate A for the fear and inhumane treatment she experienced at his hands.

Savic was arrested in September last year. He was then released at liberty under prohibitive measures.

The trial began on February 4 of this year.