Appeals Ct: NLD gov't on the hook for compensation for Srebrenica victims

[The Bread Guy]

As mentioned in this blog, methinks some countries may think twice about sending peacekeepers that have to maintain weak, UN-established ROEs while still being liable for the results - or think twice about hiring foreign nationals they can't protect....

The Netherlands was responsible for the deaths of three Bosnian Muslim men slain by Serbs during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, appeals judges ruled Tuesday, ordering the Dutch government to compensate the men's relatives.

The landmark ruling could open the path to other compensation claims by relatives who say the victims should have been protected by the Dutch U.N. peacekeepers in charge of the U.N. 'safe zone' near Srebrenica during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.

It could also have wider implications for countries sending troops on U.N. peacekeeping missions, as it opens the possibility of national governments being taken to court for the actions of their troops even when they are under U.N. control.

The case was brought by Hasan Nuhanovic, an interpreter who lost his brother and father, and relatives of Rizo Mustafic, an electrician who was killed. They argued that all three men should have been protected by Dutch peacekeepers. Mustafic and Nuhanovic were employed by the Dutch peacekeepers, but Nuhanovic's father and brother were not ....

Source:  Associated Press via New York Times, 5 Jul 11 - more from the BBC, Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Reuters

Previous threads on on legal wrangling over Srebrenica

• NLD Public Prosecutor Opens Probe into UN Troops in Srebrenica
• Court: UN Not Immune in Srebrenica Victim Litigation