Balkans: January 18, 2005

Archives

The Srebrenica (Bosnia) war crimes trials in the Hague continue. This time two senior Bosnian Serb military commanders were convicted and sentences for their roles in the massacre of 7,000 to 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men. Vidoje Blagojevic was convicted on multiple counts, including "complicity in genocide." He received 18 years. Dragan Jokic received a nine year sentence. For some, these prosecutions are "too little too late," particularly given the fact that West European peacekeepers in the area pulled out when the Bosnian Serbs attacked Srebrenica. War crimes investigations, however, are an attempt to hold war criminals accountable. They are an opportunity to examine the terrible circumstances of events like Srebrenica and factually document those events.