Accused of genocide, Serbia begins defence at world court
Serbia began presenting its defence in The Hague, Netherlands, today in the first case of a state accused of genocide.
It will challenge the jurisdiction of the UN’s highest court to hear Bosnia’s charges.
Serbia also began chipping away at many of Bosnia’s allegations of mass murders, calling them exaggerations and reports based on unreliable witnesses.
Bosnia was seeking a precedent-setting decision from the International Court of Justice that would hold a state responsible for genocide, not just individuals.
It concluded 10 days of arguments on yesterday. A ruling in Bosnia’s favour could open the way for claims of billions of dollars.
Croatia has a similar case pending before the UN tribunal, also known as the world court.
Serbia tried to distance itself from the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, who ruled Serbia at the time of the Balkan wars in the early 1990s when an estimated 200,000 people died.
“I find myself in a paradox, said Radoslav Stojanovic, the head of Serbia’s legal team.
“I must defend a regime to which I was opposed.”
