Witness Describes Rape by Croatian Defence Council Forces in Odzak
Testifying against former Croat fighters accused of rape and sexual abuse, state prosecution witness Suzana Jesic said she was raped by former Croatian Defence Council soldier Mato Brnjic in July 1992. She was fourteen at the time.
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Suzana Jesic said she found out later that Vera Lesic had been raped by Marijan Brnjic on the same day.
Marijan Brnjic, Martin Barukcic, Pavo Glavas, and Ilija Glavas have been charged with the rape, abuse, and degrading treatment of Serb women in Odzak.
Jesic said she was staying at the house of Mile Vladic on July 3, 1992. She was with her mother, sisters, and other women of Serb nationality from Novi Grad, Odzak.
“What happened to me there was hell…The armed members of the Croatian Defence Council came there. They took me away from my mother, who was crying. Eight of them circled me and beat me with batons, rifles, and the butts of their guns,” Jesic said.
“They pulled my hair and tore my knees,” Jesic said.
Jesic said five soldiers threw her into a van, and three others followed in another car.
“I didn’t know them personally. On the way, the van stopped and the driver got out. I heard Vera Lesic screaming. The driver said Marijan Brnjic stayed with her in the woods,” Jesic said.
Marijan Brnjic’s defense said that Jesic hadn’t mentioned Lesic and Brnjic earlier. Jesic couldn’t explain why she hadn’t mentioned them earlier.
Jesic said she was driven to a house in Posavska Mahala. One of the soldiers told her to undress, and raped her.
“He said, ‘It’s best to rape underage Serb girls.’ Then, a second soldier entered and tried to rape me, but then some woman shouted, ‘Ilija, get out, the military police are coming,” Jesic said.
Then, Jesic said, commander Mirko Pacak arrived. He told her that they found Vera Lesic and Marijan Brnjic. He drove both her and Vera Lesic to the police station in Novi Grad to identify her rapist.
“They turned off the lights, and with his battery lamp, he [Pacak] directed the light at the faces of eight soldiers. I recognized the one who raped me…The police commander told me that was Mato Brnjic, Marijan Brnjic’s father,” Jesic said.
According to Jesic, Vera Lesic didn’t identify her rapist out of fear.
“She told me later that it was Marijan Brnjic,” Jesic said.
Marijan Brnjic’s defense said that in previous statements, Jesic didn’t say that Pacak had told her that he had found Vera Lesic and Marijan Brnjic. Jesic couldn’t explain the differences in her statements.
The trial will continue on March 24.
