Accused B (Miroslav Bralo) again assaulted witness A, who was still naked, before a group of soldiers. He raped her in the mouth, vagina and anus and forced her to lick his penis clean. Then Anto Furundžija continued to interrogate witness A in the same manner as he had done earlier in the large room. As the interrogation intensified, so did the sexual assaults and the rape.
Anto Furundzija, Croatian War Criminal
The Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at the Hague found that Anto Furundžija was a commander of the “Jokers”, a special unit of the Croatian Council of Defence (HVO). He was an active combatant and had engaged in hostilities against the Bosniak community in the Lašva Valley area, including the attack on the village of Ahmići, where he personally participated in expelling Bosniaks from their homes in furtherance of the armed conflict. Anto Furundžija was found guilty by the Trial Chamber on the counts of torture and outrages upon personal dignity as violations of the laws or customs of war.
The charges were based on events that occurred in a large room and a pantry of a holiday cottage, at the “Jokers” headquarters (“the Bungalow”) in Nadioci in mid-May 1993. In regards to torture, the Trial Chamber was satisfied that Anto Furundžija was present in the large room and interrogated witness A, while she was naked. The intention of Anto Furundžija and another HVO soldier (accused B, Miroslav Bralo) was to obtain information which they believed would benefit the HVO. They therefore questioned witness A about the activities of members of her family and certain other named individuals, her relationship with certain HVO soldiers and details of her alleged involvement with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH).
Miroslav Bralo (Croatian War Criminal)
The Trial Chamber found that while witness A was being interrogated, accused B rubbed his knife on her inner thighs and threatened to cut her private parts (vagina and breasts) if she did not tell the truth in answer to the interrogation by Anto Furundžija.
Accused B (Miroslav Bralo) again assaulted witness A, who was still naked, before a group of soldiers. He raped her in the mouth, vagina and anus and forced her to lick his penis clean. Then Anto Furundžija continued to interrogate witness A in the same manner as he had done earlier in the large room. As the interrogation intensified, so did the sexual assaults and the rape. Anto Furundžija’s intention, as detailed above, was to obtain information from witness A by causing her severe physical and mental suffering.
The Trial Chamber found Anto Furundžija guilty of torture as a coperpetrator
for his failure to stop or curtail the attacks upon witness A and D by a subordinate soldier.
The Trial Chamber found that witness A was subjected to rape and serious sexual assaults by accused B (Miroslav Bralo) in the course of the interrogation by Anto Furundžija. Accused B penetrated witness A’s mouth, vagina and anus with his penis. Again, the rapes and sexual assaults were committed publicly; members of the “Jokers” were watching and milling around the open door of the pantry. They laughed at what was going on. The Trial Chamber found that witness A suffered severe physical and mental pain, along with public humiliation, at the hands of accused B in what amounted to outrages upon her personal dignity and sexual integrity. The Chamber found that Anto Furundžija did not personally rape witness A, but his presence and continued interrogation of her encouraged accused B and substantially contributed to the criminal acts committed by him. He was found to be an aider and abettor of outrages upon personal dignity, including rape.
Around mid-June 1993, Witness A attempted to escape from Accused B weekend house.
Witness A ran to a nearby house and hid in the shed. Witness A was caught by the owner and Miroslav Bralo. The owner threatened that she would be killed that night. Later that night, Miroslav BRALO returned to the same house and had forcible oral, vaginal and anal sexual intercourse with Witness A. Miroslav BRALO forced Witness A to lick his penis clean after he had raped her anally. Witness A was so physically injured that she could hardly walk the following day.
Judgement against Anto Furundzija
Judgement against Miroslav Bralo
