”The Hague Tribunal is not a political institution and trials were not for nations but those who are responsible for war crimes and the violation of the Geneva Convention,” stated the Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz.
“The convicted perpetrators are not soldiers who fought for their homeland, their villages or their families, but commanders who were killing war prisoners that were under the protection of the Geneva Convention. There is nothing heroic in burning villages, throwing people out of their homes, or encouraging soldiers to participate in a massive sexual violence,” stated Brammertz at a recent seminar for young lawyers, after Ratko Mladic’s verdict.
“This is a conviction of Mladic and Mladic only, not of his nation. It is very important that the nation to which the perpetrator belongs understands that we can see the difference,” said Brammertz, who also added that it should be noted that The Hague convicts are not some heroes but they just present themselves as the defenders of their people, when, in fact, they have used their trust for their own personal and political interests.
He also said that it is necessary for the politicians to dissociate from the perpetrators and not to use the nationalistic rhetoric, which “revives the dark ghosts from the 1990’s”, and that the activities of non-governmental organizations are also very important in this process.
Brammertz stated that he is satisfied with verdicts to Karadzic and Mladic and that he feels “privileged” because of the influence that those verdicts will have in the future period.
(Source: fokus.ba)
