Court of BiH: Trial for rapes in Rogatica begins

The trial of Milisav Ikonić, Dragan Lubarda, and Zoran Ilić, accused of multiple rapes in Rogatica, has begun with the reading of the indictment and the opening statement by the BiH Prosecutor's Office, BIRN reported, as stated by the BiH news agency Patria.

Prosecutor Lejla Konjić said that by hearing witnesses and presenting material evidence, they will show that the victims were civilians and that the accused, as members of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), committed acts not justified by military necessity.

Konjić emphasized that the Prosecutor's Office will prove that the accused were aware that they were acting against civilian women who were detained.

Milisav Ikonić, Dragan Lubarda, and Zoran Ilić are accused of raping several Bosniak women in June and July 1992.

According to the indictment, they forcibly took Bosniak women and girls from the Secondary School Center and the Church House to apartments in Rogatica, where they raped them.

Ikonić is charged with raping S-1 on multiple occasions, and Lubarda with multiple rapes of N-1. Ilić is charged with the rape of minor S-3.

According to the indictment, Ikonić was a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, while Ilić and Lubarda were members of the VRS.

The trial will continue on January 22, NAP writes.