Study “… and that it does not happen to The Trouble with Rape Trials – anyone anywhere Views of Witnesses, Prosecutors and Judges in the world” on Prosecuting Sexualised Violence during the War in the former Yogoslavia © medica mondiale e.V. December 2009 “...and that it does not happen to anyone anywhere in the world” The Trouble with Rape Trials – Views of Witnesses, Prosecutors and Judges on Prosecuting Sexualised Violence during the War in the former Yugoslavia Authors: Coordinators: GABRIELA MISCHKOWSKI, GABRIELA MISCHKOWSKI, GORANA MLINAREVIC SARA SHARRATT Ph.D. Editorial staff: Selmin Çalıs¸kan (Editor-in-chief), Britta Amorin, Lizette Dennis, Jessica Mosbahi, Paul Christensen, Beate Kriechel Special thanks to Vahida Nainar for her help with content editing Layout: Ute Bley This study was supported by a grant from: Cover pictures: © Ursula Meissner/medica mondiale (left), High School as Detention Camp, Focˇa; © Gabriela Mischkowski/ medi ca mondiale (right) Table of Contents Table of Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................5 Introduction by the Authors ..............................................................................................................................8 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................12 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................13 Part One: The Prosecution of Rape before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the War Crimes Chamber 1. War Rape in Bosnia Herzegovina – The Commission of Experts’ Report ......................................................14 2. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia ....................................................................17 2.1 Mandate and Legal Basis ...................................................................................................................17 2.2 Special Rules for Sexualised Violence Cases .......................................................................................18 2.3 The Completion Strategy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and Referrals to the War Crimes Chamber ...........................................................................................18 3. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the War Crimes Chamber ............................................................20 3.1 The Legal System in Bosnia and Herzegovina.......................................................................................20 3.2 Establishment and Mandate of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.....................................................21 3.2.1 Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina .........................................................................21 3.2.2 Cantonal and District Courts....................................................................................................22 3.2.3 Legal Basis for Prosecuting Sexualised Violence ......................................................................22 3.2.4 Plea Bargaining ......................................................................................................................22 3.2.5 Provisions Concerning Sexualised Violence ..............................................................................23 3.2.6 Rape Definition.......................................................................................................................24 3.3 Gender Composition of the War Crimes Chamber and the Prosecutor's Office ........................................25 4. Prosecution of Sexualised Violence ...........................................................................................................27 4.1 International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: Indictments, Convictions and Acquittals ...........27 4.1.1 Indictments ............................................................................................................................27 4.1.2 Conviction Rate ......................................................................................................................27 4.1.3 Ranks of Accused ...................................................................................................................29 4.1.4 Sex of Victims ........................................................................................................................30 4.1.5 Plea Agreements ....................................................................................................................32 4.1.6 Acquittals...............................................................................................................................33 4.2 Women’s Roles in Successful Prosecutions of Sexualised Violence .......................................................40 4.3 Sexualised Violence Trials in Bosnia and Herzegovina ..........................................................................44 Part Two: Views of Witnesses and Court Members 5. Witnesses’ Perspectives ..........................................................................................................................50 5.1 On Reasons for Testifying ..................................................................................................................52 5.2 On Support for Testifying ...................................................................................................................59 5.3 On Good and Bad Practices ...............................................................................................................61 6. Some Perspectives from Judges and Prosecutors at the War Crimes Chamber ............................................65 6.1 Challenges of Rape Trials ..................................................................................................................65 6.2 Some Experiences from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia .............................72 3 Table of Contents 7. Protection and Security ............................................................................................................................74 7.1 Protective Measures of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia .............................74 7.2 Protection Policy of the War Crimes Chamber ......................................................................................76 7.3 Witnesses’ Perspectives on Protection and Security ............................................................................84 8. Social Justice ...........................................................................................................................................89 8.1 Witnesses’ Perspectives.....................................................................................................................89 8.2 Reparation.........................................................................................................................................90 9. Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................93 9.1 Recommendations from Witnesses .....................................................................................................93 9.2 Recommendations of medica mondiale ...............................................................................................94 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................................97 Appendix – Witness Questionnaire ................................................................................................................104 Footnotes ...................................................................................................................................................110 4 Foreword Foreword abused and were not informed about the proceedings du- ring the trials etc.. They lived in constant fear, while the Sexualised war crimes have been a key issue for medica majority of perpetrators still ran free and lead their lives mondiale for the last 17 years. Since the very beginning, undisturbed. In the Lasva-Valley in Central Bosnia war cri- the organisation has pursued two goals: putting an end minals lived, for example, next door to their victims. to the impunity of offenders who committed war rapes There was no need to threaten witnesses directly to inti- as well as to the trivialisation of war rapes as an inevi- midate them. table collateral damage. medica mondiale has had bitter experiences with the War rapes were seldom prosecuted in the past. On the ICTY as well. The tribunal in The Hague ordered Medica rare occasions where perpetrators were prosecuted, the Zenica to disclose the confidential medical and psycho- aim was to reestablish military order and discipline. After social record of one of its clients who testified as a vic- the end of World War II, international law entered into a tim witness in court. The trust of clients was betrayed new era. Justice for rape victims played, however, only a and the entire future cooperation with courts was at minor role. stake. Are therapy sessions possible if a client cannot rely on the therapist-patient