Dutch state 'responsible for three Srebrenica deaths'

[NotYetRegistered]

The verdict is historic. It is believed to be the first time a state has been held responsible for the actions of its troops working under UN auspices. This could have far-reaching implications for other countries that may be wary of sending their troops on UN peacekeeping missions.
The Dutch government, which the court ruled had "effective control" over their troops, has been ordered to pay compensation to the plaintiffs.
This could pave the way for compensation claims by other Srebrenica victims, especially those whose relatives were similarly forced off the Dutch compound, a designated UN safe haven, where they had sought protection.
The verdict, which government lawyers say they have to study before deciding whether or not to appeal, will no doubt reopen a painful chapter in Dutch history.
In 2002, the Dutch government collapsed after an investigation by the National War Documentation Institute blamed them and the UN for sending ill-equipped Dutch soldiers on an impossible mission.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14026218

I think it's an interesting development. From what I've read it seems a right decision by the court. What are your thoughts?

[Uber Patriot]

Probably right
I'm not sure if it was naive or not to expect the Serbs to do what they did, but I can't think that the Dutch would have thought handing them over would do any good knowing the long-standing tensions between Serbs and Muslims.
They weren't necessarily ill-equipped weaponry wise. The Serbs wouldn't have overrun the compound, they weren't stupid enough to attack UN peacekeepers. What they did need however was more supplies to look after them.

[Treize]

They weren't necessarily ill-equipped weaponry wise.

Oh no?



Prehaps the Bosnian militias should not have destroyed/plundered/burned/raped/raided the surrounding Serb villages...
Prehaps the Serbs would have been more friendly then, just like when they captured the town a couple of times before.

And prehaps if the Bosnians did not harass Dutch troop and if they did not set up their mortars next to Dutch watchtowers, fire at the Serbs and run leaving the watchtowers the target of the Serb returning fire the soldiers would have been more motivated to fight against the odds against tanks, with that ~10 bullets that each soldier was equipped with.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Aren't Peacekeepers under UN mandate equipped lighlty because of UN regulations? In that case it should be the UN's fault

[Border Patrol]

Good luck getting peacekeepers with any sort of altruistic motives after this.

[Basil II the B.S]

Right. Next time peacekeepers will be again composed by random third world countries, and you'll have again embarassing rape cases by UN troopers.

[Dr. Oza]

Why all the hostility? The Dutch ed up and now they're paying for it.

[Sir Pignans]

Why all the hostility? The Dutch ed up and now they're paying for it.

Under control of the UN = UN ed up.

[Justice and Mercy]

Why all the hostility? The Dutch ed up and now they're paying for it.

One ought to say the same of the country being occupied by peacekeepers.

This is obviously pure nonsense. The Dutch ought to pull their troops out of all UN forces and consider severing ties with the UN.

There's no reason for them to allow this.

Yes the UN is at fault but the local commander shouldn't have abandoned the locals, he should have at least stayed or carried off the locals with him, what was the whole point of being there if at the first sign of trouble, they left?

Good LORD!

Carried the locals off with him?

400 dutchmen for 8000 bosniaks sounds perfectly reasonable to me, given the situation. To be clear, not that this was the actual choice in reality. It was EITHER both of them or one of them.

[Derbiean]

Makes me wonder if the British Government will face similar action as i remember a drama made by the BBC called 'Warriors' the series tells the story of a group of British peacekeepers serving in a peacekeeping operation of the UNPROFOR in Vitez, in Bosnia during Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing in 1993. The film emphasises the contradictions of the mandate of the peacekeepers, and the psychological trauma that they sustain while being forced to observe atrocities committed on civilians and deliberate provocations without being able to intervene.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warriors_%28TV_series%29


If there is any truth in that drama i could see it happening

[Poach]

Right, so 400 Dutch soldiers with no air or artillery support were meant to defend a town against 2,000 troops equipped with armour and artillery? Not a chance. Had the Dutch stood and fought we'd be commemorating 400 dead Dutch soldiers alongside the thousands who were massacred. This was a UN up: leaving 400 poorly equipped soldiers to defend an enclave deep inside enemy territory against 2000 troops who massively outgunned them.

Every single one of you, put in the Dutch CO's place, would've acted the same. What the Serbs did was shameful, and to this day it should remain a national shame. You wouldn't willingly march your battalion of weakly armed countrymen to their deaths for the sake of an honourable mention in the history books though.

Now, for the topic at hand:

Good going court. Now the UN is going to seriously struggle for peacekeepers, and the ones they get will be under ridiculous restrictions to avoid ever being caught in a situation like this.

[legate]

The people responsible for the deaths were the serbs. Not the Dutch. Its quite simple really.

[Derbiean]

Right, so 400 Dutch soldiers with no air or artillery support were meant to defend a town against 2,000 troops equipped with armour and artillery? Not a chance. Had the Dutch stood and fought we'd be commemorating 400 dead Dutch soldiers alongside the thousands who were massacred. This was a UN up: leaving 400 poorly equipped soldiers to defend an enclave deep inside enemy territory against 2000 troops who massively outgunned them.

Every single one of you, put in the Dutch CO's place, would've acted the same. What the Serbs did was shameful, and to this day it should remain a national shame. You wouldn't willingly march your battalion of weakly armed countrymen to their deaths for the sake of an honourable mention in the history books though.

Now, for the topic at hand:

Good going court. Now the UN is going to seriously struggle for peacekeepers, and the ones they get will be under ridiculous restrictions to avoid ever being caught in a situation like this.

Indeed not to mention that the Serbs were not a mob they were well trained force from what i have read and heard. Sounds like the Dutch have been made the scapegoat to spare the UN from legal action.

[priam11]

The Dutch should tell the Hague to screw off (the irony). Who knows but perhaps many Dutch already do.

I do love when a civil court gets involved with unsual situations such as war, massacres etc. with little direct experience dealing with those same situations.

[Gumpfendorfer]

The Dutch should tell the Hague to screw off (the irony). Who knows but perhaps many Dutch already do.

Uuhm, it's a Dutch court, not the international court.....

I do love when a civil court gets involved with unsual situations such as war, massacres etc. with little direct experience dealing with those same situations.

The court made very clear that the verdict is only about the three who worked for the Dutch and were expelled from the base after it had become clear the Serbs were committing large scale murder. There was no need to expel them, according to the court.

[priam11]

Uuhm, it's a Dutch court, not the international court.....

Ummm..I know that..thanks.

[Burnum]

Good going court. Now the UN is going to seriously struggle for peacekeepers, and the ones they get will be under ridiculous restrictions to avoid ever being caught in a situation like this.

UN peacekeepers are usually worse then useless, they're a liability.

In Rwanda they were even more criminally negligent, they were under orders not to get involved at all.

[Rolling Thunder]

Good going court. Now the UN is going to seriously struggle for peacekeepers, and the ones they get will be under ridiculous restrictions to avoid ever being caught in a situation like this.

Actually, the best solution is to arm them extremely heavily and tell them to keep the peace with all the force they need.

[Dr. Croccer]

Right, so 400 Dutch soldiers with no air or artillery support were meant to defend a town against 2,000 troops equipped with armour and artillery? Not a chance. Had the Dutch stood and fought we'd be commemorating 400 dead Dutch soldiers alongside the thousands who were massacred. This was a UN up: leaving 400 poorly equipped soldiers to defend an enclave deep inside enemy territory against 2000 troops who massively outgunned them.

Every single one of you, put in the Dutch CO's place, would've acted the same. What the Serbs did was shameful, and to this day it should remain a national shame. You wouldn't willingly march your battalion of weakly armed countrymen to their deaths for the sake of an honourable mention in the history books though.

.

This. Not resisting was the most logical choice. The last thing they should've done was give the Serbs an excuse to be even harsher and turn the entire city into a warzone. it would've only led to more civilian casualties, especially amongst the women and children who were largely unharmed by the Serbs. Their deaths would've been counted as collatoral damage or just military victims, and the likes of Mladic would still be running free.

The real people to blame are the UN and NATO for making Srebrenica a safe zone in the first place, allowing Bosnian militants to retreat there, not evacuating the civilians, not defending it with a suitable military force, no giving enough autonomy to the aforementioned military force and not responding in time to the threat of Serbian attacks.

[mongrel]

Right, so 400 Dutch soldiers with no air or artillery support were meant to defend a town against 2,000 troops equipped with armour and artillery? Not a chance. Had the Dutch stood and fought we'd be commemorating 400 dead Dutch soldiers alongside the thousands who were massacred. This was a UN up: leaving 400 poorly equipped soldiers to defend an enclave deep inside enemy territory against 2000 troops who massively outgunned them.

Every single one of you, put in the Dutch CO's place, would've acted the same. What the Serbs did was shameful, and to this day it should remain a national shame. You wouldn't willingly march your battalion of weakly armed countrymen to their deaths for the sake of an honourable mention in the history books though.

General McAuliffe

"Nuts"