She told these details as if she were reciting. But already she had forgotten and called him Koza, his nickname. Why had she done this?

Karla asked, Can you identify in this courtroom a man who was there?

Yes. The man sitting two from the left, with a green stripe in his tie.

Do you know his name?

Žarko Dragić.

What was his nickname?

Koza.

What was his role?

He was the leader. The others obeyed him. At Ribarski restaurant he organized everyone for trading us.

Was he the first to rape you?

No, that was Stankić. He was our kum before. He was very forceful. He said he could have done worse but I was the same age as his daughter. He wanted to hurt me as much as possible. But he could never hurt me as much as my soul hurt me.

Did you tell your mother?

No. After I was taken away I did not see her again until after the war. For a long time I was afraid she was dead.

What about your grandmother?

No, I did not see her either. I thought she was dead.

How long were you there?

I don’t know exactly. I know we were hiding on Vidovdan Day. Someone told me I was there for about eight months. I know when I left it was winter.

What did they do to you there?

They said we would have their babies. They said they would destroy us.

What did they do specifically to you?

They destroyed everything in me.

You were taken from Partizan Sports Hall by a group of men when you were hiding in the bathroom. Do you remember this night?

Yes. Because it was the first night. I remember most of their names because they often came for me later. Perhaps I will miss some because it has been eight years and I do not like to think about it. There was Luka Radović from Foča, Darko Dubljević, and Ranko Radulović, and Tolja and Bane. Those are nicknames, because I don’t know their real names. Others I knew only their nicknames, Šćepo, Puko, Miga. There was one who had a wound in the stomach with a bandage, and they made me give him pleasure too, because he could not rape me with his wound.

These persons you mentioned, were they all soldiers?

Yes.

Who was their leader?

Koza, I mean that is the nickname for Dragić.

Where did they take you?

A motel in town, I do not remember the name.

How far was it from Partizan Sports Hall?

Not far, five minutes in their car.

And what did you do there?

They forced me to give them pleasure.

What do you mean by give them pleasure?

During the witness-proofing sessions, Merima had told Karla she had never wanted her mother and her grandmother to know the details of what had happened to her. She did not like to say the words in public. She was afraid when she saw him she would freeze inside.