Radosav Milovanović to be sentenced on January 15 for rape in Srebrenica

After closing arguments, the District Court in Bijeljina has scheduled the sentencing of Radosav Milovanović for war crimes committed in Srebrenica for January 15, the news agency Patria reports. 

The District Public Prosecutor's Office in Bijeljina requested that Milovanović be found guilty of raping a female person in May 1992 in Sase, while the defense believes that the only reasonable decision is acquittal.

In its closing statement, the Prosecution emphasized that there was an armed conflict in the Srebrenica area in May 1992 and that, according to international conventions, life was not proceeding "normally".

At the time of the incident, the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Bijeljina stated, Milovanović was a member of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), while the victim belonged to the Bosniak population group, and he used his authority and raped her at knifepoint.

During the trial, the victim described the act of rape in detail and recognized the accused in the courtroom, although, according to the Prosecution, she had not seen him for many years and was disturbed by his presence.

The Prosecution believes that the victim suffered emotional pain in addition to physical pain and that the accused was aware of the crime he committed.

On the other hand, the Defense believes that there was no armed conflict at the time the crime was committed, but rather that a decision on the danger of war was in effect on April 8, 1992, not on armed conflict. The Defense believes that, according to an official document published in the Official Gazette on June 20, 1992, the state of war began on June 14.

The Defense also referred to the evidence that the VRS was formed on May 12 and 18, 1992, explaining that the official decision on its formation was made on June 1, 1992. According to the indictment, the rape occurred on May 16, 1992.

Furthermore, the Defense recalled the discrepancies in dates between the victim and her daughter, as well as her identifying herself as Serb, Croat, or Bosniak. In its closing statement, the Defense attempted to discredit the victim's testimony by stating that she described the dress she was wearing and the slippers she had on, but did not mention wearing "a certain object".

The accused Milovanović also addressed the Court, stating that he did not commit the act he is accused of, adding that he had three daughters at the time, BIRN writes.