The Netherlands submitted an appeal against the decision of the Hague Tribunal, in which was determined that it is responsible for the death of citizens of BiH during the genocide that took place in Srebrenica in 1995, saying that no one could predict that outcome.
“No one thought that genocide can happen in Europe in 1995,” said a government lawyer Bert-Jan Houtzagers in the appeal addressed to the Hague Tribunal.
Families of victims who have initiated this case also made the appeal saying that the Netherlands is responsible for the deaths of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed in the UN-protected enclave during the bloody war in 1992-1995, as reported by AFP.
“We have nothing against the people of the Netherlands, but the soldiers and especially the commanders, had the absolute duty to protect us,” said Munira Subasic, who lost 22 family members in the war.
The Hague Tribunal issued a verdict in 2014 in which was stated that Dutch peacekeepers were not allowed to expel 300 Bosnians on the 30th of July 1995 from their base in Potocari, which was surrounded by Serbs forces. Also, the Netherlands is considered as responsible for their deaths.
Lawyer of the families of the victims, Marco Gerritsen, said that the Netherlands is responsible for the deaths of 8,000 people since the Dutch troops “put their own safety above everyone else.”
“They did not comply with the instructions of the UN to protect citizens and fight, but instead, they consciously surrendered men and boys to the killers,” said Simon van der Slujis, another lawyer of the victims.
Hague court will make a decision on the 14th of March 2017.
(Source: klix.ba)
