Friday, November 03, 2006

International Community knew about Srebrenica

I recently posted an article where Ms. Del Ponte mentioned that the international community knew in advanced that there was going to be a massacre in Srebrenica in July 1995, but did nothing to prevent it.

Here is a more substansive article on the topic:

Article

Excerpts:

The top magistrate said she had received the minutes of a meeting
>from "an indirect source" which proved that foreign officials "knew about
>it, that they had talked about it and that they did nothing to prevent it".
>
>
> "They had accepted the separation of men and women ... they knew
>they were going to kill them," she stated.
>
>
> "I have the names of the people who attended the meeting," she said.
>"It was an official meeting and therefore there are minutes," she added
>without naming the officials, their positions or their nationalities.
>



And..

It is the smoking gun, the ultimate proof," she said, adding that
>she intended to reveal everything she knew, but was unable to bring to
>court, after her term as prosecutor ends in September 2007.
>


1. I wonder what the legal ramifications are of this document at the Hague trials? I don't think it will have any effect on the current Srebrenica trial; but could it possibly effect a Mladic or Karadzic trial?

2. What are the legal ramifications of this document on the possibility of potential lawsuits stemming from Srebrenica? Granted, I don't have a legal background; but if it can be proven that the international community knew there was going to be a mass slaughter, but decided to do nothing; that could usher in lawsuits.

Anyway you look at it, it is a moment of shame for the leaders involved.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was born in the Bosnian war and have learned much (more than I've ever wanted) about it. My family left for America five years after the Dayton Peace Accord. It makes shudder when I think about the Srebrenica massacre and if the global community knew about it and said nothing, they should pay. They should long and hard just like the victims of the war did.