The Dutch State has been held accountable for the death of Bosnian Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995. The High Court in The Hague announced this decision in the case that was initiated by surviving relatives. The Netherlands has been ordered to pay damages.

Tweet

"The court ruled that the Dutch state is responsible for the death of these men because Dutchbat (Dutch UN troops) should not have handed them over," a spokeswoman for the court said.   

Hasan Nuhanovic, interpreter for Dutchbat, and the surviving relatives of Rizo Mustafic, electrician for Dutchbat, sued the Netherlands because the Dutchbatters surrendered their family members to the Bosnian Serbs after which the troops of Ratko Mladic murdered them.

Victims
Liesbeth Zegveld, lawyer for Hasan Nuhanovic, has been bringing cases against the Dutch state for the past decade. In order to help victims of war crimes, such as the crimes that happened at Srebrenica, Zegveld has started the Nuhanovic Foundation that offers legal expertise and advice to victims’ lawyers. The case of Hasan Nuhanovic is typical of the kinds of procedures that the foundation plans to support.

Impact
The impact of the verdict is huge for two reasons. Firstly, this means that other surviving relatives of the Srebrenica genocide, whose men should have been under the protection of Dutchbat, but were murdered, can demand compensation from the Dutch State. Secondly, it could have wider implications for UN peacekeeping missions because this case has demonstrated that it is possible to hold the sending state responsible - even though the troops are working under a UN mandate.

The High Court overturned the lower court ruling in 2008 which rejected any State responsibility in the Srebrenica genocide.