Kosovo War Rape Survivors Still Waiting for First Convictions

He used to be a police reservist in Vushtrri/Vucitrn, and was also a prison guard during the war, when he took part in the illegal detention of a large number of ethnic Albanian civilians at the nearby Smrekovnica detention centre from May to early June 1999.

During that period, the inmates were subjected to inhumane treatment, torture and beatings for which Vukotic was personally responsible.

In May 2018, he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years of prison for the mistreatment and torture of the civilians who were detained at Smrekovnica. The appeals court upheld the sentence in April the following year.

But this case involved no accusation of rape. However, Kosovo's Prosecution Office found out in the meantime that Vukotic had raped a 16 years old female in the region of Mitrovica.

Drita Hajdari, the head of the War Crimes Department at Kosovo's Special Prosecution Office and prosecutor in the case, said that "Vukotic intentionally and violently molested the victim".

She said that the victim reported the case to the prosecution herself. "She knew the perpetrator even though the accused denied the charges. We asked the court to protect the victim's identity so she will only be referred to by her nickname throughout the trial," Hajdari told BIRN.

Hajdari explained the complexities that she had to cope with during her investigation - problems that are common in sensitive cases of sexual violence. "The victim is very fragile and I had to interview her in a special place in the presence of a psychologist," she said.

Convicted men acquitted on appeal

Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman addresses the Kosovo Assembly about justice for sexual violence survivors. Photo courtesy of Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman.