Former interpreter of the United Nations (UN) in Srebrenica Hasan Nuhanović will testify in the Dutch Court in Arnhem on criminal charges against three former officers of the Dutch Battalion in Srebrenica.
”Hearing is scheduled on my appeal and the appeal of Rizo Mustafić’s family to decision of the prosecution in Arnhem not to process former officers of the Dutch Battalion Robert Franken, Tomas Karremans and Berend Osterveen,” Nuhanović told FENA.
Namely, according to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Holland on September 6 2013, his family was killed over the decision of members of the Dutch Battalion to handover his father and brother from base in Potočari to Serb forces, which makes state of Holland responsible for their death.
He said that former members of the Dutch Battalion, who no criminal charges were filed against and there are hundreds of them gathered in association “Dutchbat 3 Veterans”, announced a mass protest in front of building of the court in Arnhem, “to support their colleagues.”
“The Court sent us a memo through our attorney Liesbeth Zegveld, suggesting to go to the back entrance to avoid any confrontation with the members of the former Dutch battalion. But we decided to enter the main entrance because we are not afraid,” emphasized Nuhanović.
He emphasized his testimony in court, after the trauma he went through in Srebrenica, will be one of many and he always appeared as initiator of the investigation.
”My stance is that next time I will appear in court in Holland only as a witness and not as initiator of any procedure regardless of the outcome of this hearing,” said Nuhanović.
He added that he no longer has the strength to fight. It is clear that 20 years after Potočari members of the Dutch battalion are not ready to face the truth and side with justice, but they continue the same practice they started in July 1995, which is a complete denial of their responsibility for death of great number of Bosniak refugees who were in and around the base in Potočari on July 11,12 and 13.
(Source: Fena/ photo BBC)