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Serbia genocide: Bosnia appeals UN court ruling

5 || risingbd.com

Published: 04:48, 24 February 2017   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Serbia genocide: Bosnia appeals UN court ruling

International Desk: Bosnia has formally asked the UN's top court to review its ruling which cleared Serbia of genocide in the 1990s, Bosnia's Muslim leader has said.

Bakir Izetbegovic, a member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said the request will be submitted before 26 February, when the 10-year deadline for appealing expires.

The appeal will be initiated despite a lack of consent from his Croat and Serb counterparts in the presidency.

Many officials in Bosnia had argued against the move, saying it could spark a new political crisis in the country.

Some Bosnian Serbs have said they will consider a boycott of central institutions over the move to show their opposition.

However Mr Izetbegovic, argued there was no need for the presidency to decide since it had been requested by a lawyer the presidency appointed in 2002.

The UN court ruled in 2007 that the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica was genocide, but cleared Serbia of responsibility for the killings.

The International Court of Justice said there was not enough evidence to suggest that Belgrade was directly responsible.

Srebrenica was Europe's worst single atrocity since World War Two.

The ICJ did find, however, that Serbia, which gave political and military backing to Bosnian Serbs, had breached international law by failing to prevent the slaughter.

Mr Izetbegovic has said Bosnia has "new arguments," notably those presented during the trial of Ratko Mladic.

The Bosnian Serb wartime army chief is awaiting judgement at a UN tribunal.

Agencies

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