Women of Srebrenica followed with great attention the pronouncement of the first instance verdict for Radovan Karadžić, president of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), the former president of Republika Srpska and the supreme commandant of the Army of RS (VRS).
President and vice-president of the Association “Women of Srebrenica” Hajra Ćatić and Nura Begović departed to Hague to attend the verdict announcement, while the remaining members of the Association followed the TV broadcast of the events in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Women of Srebrenica who were prevented from traveling to Hague gathered at the headquarters of the association in Tuzla.
After the presiding judge of the Trial Chamber, the South Korean judge O-Gon Kwon, finished reading the decision, tears started falling down the faces of the Srebrenica women immediately.
One member of the Association, Vasvija Kadić, said that the decision of ICTY sentencing Radovan Karadžić to 40 years in prison is shameful.
“This is a shameful decision of The Hague Tribunal; this should not have happened but there, it happened. I really don’t know what else the victims of the war have to say. We really expected him to be sentenced to life. Forty years in prison is a shameful penalty. We are all aware that he will not live for another 40 years, but as I already said, this is a shameful decision,” Kadić said.
Habiba Mašić believes that the verdict has been political.
“The verdict is not satisfying. Justice has not been met with such a disgraceful decision. We are terrified. The politics ruled here. We no longer believe in the court,” Mašić said.
A member of the Association Mirsada Kahriman said that the verdict is actually mocking of the mothers and women of Srebrenica.
“We hope for nothing anymore. I am speechless. I feel sorrow for all the victims. I sympathize with all the mothers. I find it very difficult to know that some will not even live to the day when they will see and bury the bones of their sons. It cannot get any worse than this,” Kahriman added.
As a reminder, Radovan Karadžić was yesterday sentenced to 40 years of prison before the Hague Tribunal. After five years of trial, the ICTY announced the first instance verdict for Karadžić, charged by the Prosecution of The Hague Tribunal with 11 counts in the indictment.
(Source: klix.ba)
