Tag Archives: Dutchbat

24 July 2014

Dutch District Court holds the Netherlands responsible for more than 300 Srebrenica deaths

On 16 July 2014, the District Court of The Hague hold that the state of the Netherlands is responsible regarding the death of about 300 men, who were killed subsequent to their eviction from a compound near Srebrenica where Dutch peacekeepers of UNPROFOR (Dutchbat) were posted in 1995.

The case against the Netherlands was brought by the relatives of ten victims and the association ‘Mothers of Srebrenica’. This association has earlier brought claims against the United Nations before Dutch courts and the European Court of Human Rights, which have been rejected on the ground of immunity of the UN.

See here for the judgment in English.

See here for a SHARES blog written on this decision.

Source: Rechtspraak | Press Release | The Netherlands liable for deportation of more than three hundred men in Srebrenica | The Hague | 16-7-2014

19 July 2014

Dutch Court holds the Netherlands responsible for 300 Srebrenica deaths, and sets limits to future claims

UNPROFOR Dutchbat headquarters in Potočari

On 16 July 2014, the District Court of The Hague issued a decision holding the Dutch State responsible with regards to the death of about 300 men, who were killed following their eviction from a compound near Srebrenica where Dutch peacekeepers of UNPROFOR (Dutchbat) were stationed before evacuating it in July 1995. (more…)

6 September 2013

The Netherlands responsible for the death of three Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995

The Dutch Supreme Court held today, on 6 September, that the Netherlands is responsible for the death of three Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995.

The three men had sought refuge in the compound of Dutchbat, the Dutch battalion, who decided to not evacuate these men along with the battalion. Instead, these men were sent away from the compound, where they were murdered by the Bosnian-Serb army or connected paramilitary groups. The Supreme Court upheld the findings of the Court of Appeal, both in respect of attribution of the conduct to the Netherlands and in respect of the wrongfulness of the conduct.

The press release (in English) can be found here.

A blog post highlighting the most important sections of the judgment and explaining the two central issues, attribution and wrongful conduct, will be posted on this website shortly.

Source: Hoge Raad der Nederlanden | Nieuws | State responsible for death of three Muslim men in Srebrenica

8 March 2013

Dutchbat commander Karremans not prosecuted for Srebrenica

ABC News announced that former Dutchbat general Karremans, who commanded the Dutch peacekeepers in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, and two other officers (Franken and Oosterveen), will not be prosecuted for their involvement in the genocide and  war crimes that were committed by Bosnian-Serb fighters who overran the enclave and subsequently massacred around 8.000 Muslim men in 1995.

The surviving relatives of three victims of the massacre (the cases of Mustafić and Nuhanović) asked for a criminal case to be launched against the three officers. The relatives wanted Karremans to be held criminally responsible for the deaths of their loved ones, arguing that he turned them over to the Serbs (general Mladic), although he should have offered the men protection because they (or their relatives) had worked for the Dutch peacekeepers.

Source: ABC News | Associated Press | Dutch Peacekeeper Not Prosecuted for Srebrenica
Source: NOS | Karremans niet vervolgd (in Dutch)

2012

Responsibility of the Netherlands for the Acts of Dutchbat in Nuhanović and Mustafić: The Continuous Quest for a Tangible Meaning for ‘Effective Control’ in the Context of Peacekeeping

Bérénice Boutin

In Nuhanović and Mustafić (5 July 2011), the Court of Appeal of The Hague held the Netherlands liable under Bosnian torts law in relation to acts of Dutchbat in the days following the fall of Srebrenica. The claims were brought … Read more

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