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Pincic: Enormous fear

06 October 2008  The State Prosecution completes the presentation of evidence by examining a witness, who confirms that Pincic did take witness 'A' in order to rape her.

The witness, who testified at the trial of Zrinko Pincic, via video link from Belgrade, claims that he raped protected witness A several times.

"Zrinko Pincic often used to take witness 'A' to another room. He would take her away forcibly and she seemed scared. When she would come back, she cried and said: 'It is better that this happens to me than to your children'," Radmila Zivak said. In the course of 1992 and 1993 Zivak "lived in Donje selo, together with some 10 or 15 women and children", including witness 'A'.

The Prosecution charges Zrinko Pincic, as a member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, with having come, "armed and uniformed", in Donje selo village, in Konjic municipality from November 1992 to March 1993, and forced witness A to have sexual intercourse with him several times, "while keeping a gun next to the bed each time".

Zivak said that, in the spring of 1992, she was forced to go to Donje selo village, just like witness A and all other women from Bradina village. At the same time the men were detained in Celebici and Musala detention camps. She also said that the women, who were detained in the house, were "visited by members of the Bosnian Army or Croatian soldiers", adding that, "as of the winter of 1992, Zrinko Pincic often came there, accompanied by armed soldiers and his brother".

"Every time they came, our children would be very afraid," Zivak said.

As she said, witness 'A' was raped in the summer of 1992 already, when "three members of the Bosnian Army" came to the house. She said that one of them intimidated them by saying that he would "throw a bomb if person 'A' would not come to the room with him".

"When HVO soldiers came in November, we first thought that they would find out who had raped her. However, when Pincic started taking her to that room, I knew what was going on. She was afraid whenever they visited the house. In the following days she would cry all the time. She would smoke one cigarette after the other," Zivak said.

In the course of cross-examination Defence attorney Velimir Maric asked the witness if "the relation between witness 'A' and the indictee" might have been voluntary.

"No, how can you have a voluntary relation with a man, who carries a gun all the time," Zivak responded.

The trial is due to continue on October 7, 2008, when Zrinko Pincic will be examined as the first Defence witness.