A Dutch court is holding the Netherlands liable for the deaths of more than 300 Bosnian Muslims at the hands of the Serbians in Europe’s worst atrocity since the end of World War II – The Srebrenica Massacre during the Balkans war in 1995.

“The state is liable for the loss suffered by relatives of the men who were deported by the Bosnian Serbs from the Dutchbat (Dutch battalion) compound in Potocari in the afternoon of 13 July, 1995,” the court said, ruling that the Dutch troops should have done more to protect the civilians.

The United Nations declared Srebrenica a protected safe area for civilians.  The Bosnian men and boys were among 5,000 people – mostly women and children – taking shelter with Dutch troops assigned to the United Nations peacekeeping force.  But when Serbian forces led by accused war criminal General Ratko Mladic overran the enclave, the outnumbered Dutch UN soldiers never fired a shot. 

Mladic’s troops rounded up the entire population of Srebrenica, expelled the women, some children, and the elderly, but took the men and boys away.  The Serbs executed 8,000 men and boys in the next few days, and mass graves are still being dug up to this day.  The ruling only covers the 300 victims - the court cleared the Netherlands of responsibility in the thousands of other killings.

The case was launched by relatives of the victims under the name “Mothers of Srebrenica”.