A Dutch court is to hold hearings on Wednesday about whether survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre can sue the UN for failing to prevent the slaughter of thousands of Bosnian Muslims.
The Mothers of Srebrenica, relatives of men and boys killed at the UN-declared safe zone, are the most vocal claimants in a civil suit seeking compensation from the UN and the Dutch state for the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II.
Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Muslims in one week in July 1995. Dutch peacekeepers, overwhelmed by the Serbs’ superior force, watched helplessly as the victims were led away from their custody.
At issue is whether the UN — which has so far not taken part in the proceedings launched last year — is immune to complaints filed in national courts.
Axel Hagedorn, whose firm says it represents 6,000 family members, said he expects the UN not to appear, citing immunity.
He said lawyers for the government will likely argue that its troops are immune from claims because they were serving as part of a UN peacekeeping force.
The suit is one of several seeking to determine whether the Netherlands and UN can be held liable for failing to carry out a promise of protection for civilians in the UN enclave.
An independent report by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation in 2002 placed partial blame for the massacre with the Dutch government for sending ill-prepared troops on an impossible mission. It faulted the UN for designating the area a “safe haven” for Bosnian war refugees, but not defining what that meant.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese