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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Expert: Serbs Used Rape As War Strategy

Compiled From Wire Services

A U.N. expert testified Tuesday that systematic rape was used as a strategy in the Bosnian war, culminating in “rape camps” aimed at destroying the ethnic identity of Bosnia’s Muslim women.

While rape was committed by all sides, “most victims were Muslim women and the alleged perpetrators were Bosnian Serbs,” said Christine Cleiren, a member of a U.N. commission providing expert testimony for the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal.

She testified during a hearing of evidence against Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Gen. Ratko Mladic. The pair, who have been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, have refused to surrender.

They have not been directly linked to the rape and sexual assault described in Tuesday’s testimony, but Cleiren said that in many cases Bosnian Serb soldiers were ordered to rape Muslim women.

Sexual abuse is an especially damaging crime in the Balkans, where victims often are shunned in their communities.