The Kingdom of serbia : report upon the atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the first invasion of Serbia

MASSACRES OF CIVILIANS 33

of their women. Hence the almost absolute impossibility of ascertaining the number of women who had been subjected to lewd assaults from the soldiery of the hostile army.

I am convinced that the number of violated women and young girls is very great, and judging by what I saw during my enquiry, I do not think that I am mistaken in saying that in many of the invaded villages almost all the women from the very youngest to the very oldest have been violated. Upon this matter I have collected and included in this report a certain number of statements and typical depositions.

In this chapter you will find first of all the depositions of Austrian prisoners of war, which I believe may be considered veracious, since they are to the discredit of their own army. These depositions are followed by civil and military eye-witnesses. Then follow the Serbian official military reports. You will also find the account of my own personal observations with regard to certain cases, and finally I propose to end this chapter with a short summary of the conclusions that may be drawn from my enquiry concerning the massacre of civilians. I would also draw your attention to the fact that the number of my eye-witnesses includes several persons who had been wounded, and whose wounds or scars I examined. I have in every case added a statement of my personal verification of the wound to the deposition of the witness. 1 have also in connection with the deposition of some witnesses mentioned the result of an enquiry into circumstantial evidence on the spot.

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