I haven't really followed the Martic case at the Hague, but it appears that his defense is using the same approach others have used at the Hague: that of using past atrocities or the fear of current atrocities to justify attacks on civilian populations.
Martic Witness Claims Croat Resistance Led to Massacre
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1. Concerning defence arguments
Actually,
if you pay more attention, you will notice that all Serb defendants used exactly the same defence tactics, including allegations of genocide against Serbs in the World War 2 by Ustasha regime. They still live in the past, they always have, and always will. They are justifying one evil with another evil. Besides, the 2nd world war is completely different topic. That was the time when Serbian Chetniks committed genocide against Bosniaks. More than 100,000 Bosniaks died; they killed more Bosniaks in the 2nd world war, then they killed in the past war.
Please note that none of the two mass attrocities against Bosniaks and against Serbs in the second world war was recognized as genocide. Only Srebrenica massacre of 1995 was recognized as genocide.
2. Concerning good and bad Serbs
Whether someone is nice or bad, it is very subjective. For me, a good Serb is a Serb who recognizes that their military forces committed genocide in Srebrenica. For you, a good Serb might be someone you can go and have a coffee with in Starbucks. Most Serbs deny Srebrenica genocide (at least according to polls and commentaries in Serbian/Bosnian newspapers), and therefore, in my eyes, most Serbs are bad people.
Those Serbs who recognize Srebrenica genocide are decent human beings.
That is the exact point I made in my orignal post:
That Martic and others at the Hague have used past atrocities to mitigate their own guilt in committing current atrocities.
Of course, it is unfortunate (but not surprising that some of the defendants feel that such a defense is legitimate).
I should add here that this line of defence is not Serb specific.
Justifying contemporary war crimes in the context of the past was something done over the region and indeed all over the world in conflicts.
It is to be condemned.
Daniel I didnt know that 100,000 Bosniaks were killed by Cetniks in the second world war. Do you have a source for that number?
I need not remind you that abuse of history and the dead (and how many killed) is exactly the type of tactics that are to be deplored and condemned.
http://eng.tasam.org/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=88
I would think that the Turkish Asian Centre for Strategic studies would not be pro Cetnik this is from the above:
"Pavelic's aim and main policy of the NDH was to create a great united Croatia and for this purpose to clear Croatian lands and Bosnia-Herzegovina from non-Croat people. Therefore, the NDH started oppressive and militarist policy against Jewish, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bosniaks. This aim and policy killed 12,000 Jewish in Bosnia-Herzegovina. More than 600 Bosniaks in Bileca and about 500 Bosniaks in Visegrad were killed by Ustasa in July and August 1941. However, Bosnian Muslims did not only suffered from Croatian fascists but also from Serbian fascists ( Cetniks ) which were commanded by Draza Mihailovic who aimed to found a great Serbia. In Foca-Cajnice, 2,000 Bosniaks in August 1942 and 9,000 Bosniaks in February 1943 were killed by Cetniks. (21)
Bosniaks did not show a common and homogenous attitude, policy, strategy, or response against these events under conditions of World War II. Bosniaks and their organizations reflected different attitudes and different policies in these conditions. (22)
There were some Bosniaks who collaborated with the NDH and with fascist Cetniks although the NDH and Cetniks damaged Bosniaks very adversely during the War. For example, Narodna Uzdanica ( a Bosniak cultural club ) which was governed by Fehim Spaho collaborated with NDH. Also, Cafer Kulenovic who was leader of JMO was assigned as assistance of president in the NDH and he served the NDH as assistant of Ante Pavelic.
On the other hand, some Bosniaks established alliance with Serbian fascist Cetniks. For example, Gajret (a Bosniak cultural association) collaborated with Cetniks. Furthermore, there were about 4,000 Bosniak soldiers in army of Draza Mihailovic who was commanded Cetniks.
Dont mean to get bogged down in a political debate but I'd like to hear where this 100,000 figure comes from. I havent found it so far.
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