Prosecution Witness Testified in Closed Hearing at Mato Condric Trial

“The court has rendered a decision to exclude the public during the examination of this witness, who will speak about the injured party’s personal and intimate life,” said trial chamber chairman Saban Maksumic.

Prosecutor Milanko Kajganic requested that the public be excluded from the testimony. He said the injured party hadn’t requested protective measures, but the indictment identified her with her initials due to the nature of the crime.

“We consider that the public should be excluded [from the hearing] and that publishing her name should be prohibited,” Kajganic said.

The defense didn’t object to the request.

Mato Condric, a former member of the military police with the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), is charged with allowing two unidentified HVO members rape a woman in the boiler room of the Polet football stadium in Bosanski Brod in late July or early August 1992.

According to the charges, Condric pointed a gun at the victim and sexually abused and humiliated her after her rape.

Condric is also charged with participating in the mental and physical abuse of one person in the building of an old public station building. He is also charged with beating one person in a prison located in the storage room of a store called Beograd, in collaboration with another HVO member.

The trial will continue on March 11.