Republika Srpska’s “Srebrenica Report” published in 2002 is a textbook example of ill-conceived PR, which deservedly fell flat on its face. Sloppily written and poorly corroborated and argued, it failed to convince anybody, but it did draw the attention and outrage of the Bosnia High Commissioner at the time, Jeremy Ashdown. Ashdown ordered the authorities…
KOZLUK mass grave forensic situation
The Kozluk mass graves were exhumed in July, August, and September 1999. Most of these cases consist only of body fragments, i.e. a total of 184 autopsy reports. Of this number, ICTY forensic experts could not determine the cause of death in 176 cases, which comprises more than 95.7% of the total. Here as well,…
GLOGOVA mass grave forensic situation
Several mass graves were found at this location, some of which contained the remains of two to three bodies, while others contained a much larger number. Almost all the mass graves at this location were exhumed during September and October 1999, with the exception of the mass grave denoted as Glogova 1, which was exhumed…
Professor William Schabas: Was there genocide in Srebrenica?
Canadian law professor and expert in genocide studies William Schabas articulated his dilemma after the Krstić judgment was pronounced in 2001. After pointing out the Trial Chamber’s apparent willingness in the Krstić case to “accept the Prosecutor’s contention that the intent in killing the men and boys of military age was to eliminate the [Srebrenica] community as…
Judge Jean-Claude Antonetti’s partially dissenting opinion in the Tolimir case (2015)
Judge Jean-Claude Antonetti’s partly dissenting opinion was written in the context of the Appellate Judgment in the Tolimir case, published in April of 2015. In the context of an incisive, Cartesian critique of the majority’s view, Antonetti concludes with some poignant observations: “[The Accused’s] role, which was irreversibly determined by this Appeal Judgment, does not,…
George Pumphrey: Karadzic Indictment not based on Law
“Mr. Karadzic you are charged with one count of genocide UNDER ARTICLE 4 OF THE STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL; with one count of complicity in genocide UNDER ARTICLE 4 OF THE STATUTE; with five counts of crimes against humanity UNDER ARTICLE 5 OF THE STATUTE and with four counts of war crimes UNDER ARTICLES…
George Pumphrey: Does ICTY operate according to rule of law standards?
Our comments, supplemented by video presentations, about the widespread practice at ICTY of encouraging plea-bargains with the Prosecution, accompanied by theatrical public confessions of guilt, have caught the eye of expat American political analyst George Pumphrey. Pumphrey has written extensively about Srebrenica, the International Tribunal at the Hague, and other issues of current interest. The…
Edward S. Herman: The U.S. Media Coverage of Srebrenica
By the time of the “Srebrenica massacre” in July 1995 the U.S. (and British) media had already adopted what was effectively a party line on the Bosnian and other conflicts in the Balkans, according to which the Serbs were aggressors engaged in “ethnic cleansing” in the interest of a “Greater Serbia.” This gravitation to a…
Dutch defense minister Joris Voorhoeve’s version of Srebrenica events
Joris Voorhoeve was Netherlands defense minister in July 1995, in the most critical period when Srebrenica-related events were taking place. His view on some of the key issues is significant for a balanced understanding of what happened.
George Pumphrey: Five Sources of the Srebrenica Legend (2010)
George Pumphrey’s analysis of the factors which contributed to the shaping of the official Srebrenica narrative as it is known today was written in 2010, in response to the controversy in Serbia at that time over a government-sponsored parliamentary resolution acknowledging the country’s responsibility for the massacre. In opposition to the government’s initiative, a number…