Jovan Radan sentenced for 1991 Vukovar rapes as victim declines compensation

In mid‑June, a Serbian high court sentenced former Serbian Territorial Defense member Jovan Radan to seven years in prison for raping a woman three times in a house in Vukovar during the 1991 siege. The court noted that the victim’s refusal to seek any compensation in Serbia demonstrated the credibility and lack of material motive behind her testimony. The victim’s account was supported by other women, including Snježana Malak, who recalled being assaulted by three men – one of whom was Radan – during the three‑month siege that devastated the city and caused roughly 2,700 military and civilian deaths. The sentencing, only marginally above the legal minimum, sparked criticism from survivors who deem it insufficient given the scale of wartime atrocities and the continuing search for about 300 missing persons.

The case underscores ongoing efforts to address war crimes from the former Yugoslav conflicts, highlighting both the legal process in Belgrade and the lingering trauma among Vukovar’s survivors.