BH Against SiCG: Justice Is On Our Side

If the International Court of Justice pronounces Serbia guilty, it will become the fist country in the world sentenced for genocide.

Waiting for tomorrow’s decision of the International Court of Justice, in a law-suit of Bosnia-Herzegovina against Serbia and Montenegro for genocide, the BH side does not fear. As the BH representative before the court, Sakib Softic, says: “Justice is on our side”.

BH`s law-suit against Serbia and Montenegro, then a unified state community, is the first one where the Convention on genocide is conducted in practice.

What will happen to Montenegro?

On weather will Montenegro be responsible, opinions are divided. Serbia is, legally and internationally speaking, the heir of the Serbia and Montenegro state community. But, as the legal representative of Serbian, Radoslav Stojanovic, said, Montenegro will share Serbia`s destiny.

However, BH Presidency member, Haris Silajdzic, guesting at the Podgorica television a few days ago said that Montenegro cannot be excluded by the law-suit because it participated in the genocide, it did not stop it nor did it have the powers to stand up to it.

But, Montenegro president`s jurisdiction advisor, Miodrag Latkovic, said this country cannot be responsible for genocide because it did not do a single action on the BH territory during the war which might be characterised as genocide in the way the Convention on prevention and punishment of crime genocide states it.

Therefore it is still unclear what responsibility will Montenegro be accounted for.

Legal state sentenced for genocide?

If Serbia is pronounced guilty, this will be the first country in the world convicted of genocide.

BH filed the law-suit 13 years ago, in March 1993. Serbia and Montenegro’s (then) legal team tried to challenge the Court’s authority, because Serbian and Montenegro were not UN members at that time, i.e. were suspended. During the entire procedure, the team headed by Radoslav Stojanovic denied the perpetrated genocide in BH and Belgrade responsibility.

Announcement of verdict tomorrow at 10 a.m.

A public sitting will be held at 10 hours in the Big hall of justice in Hague, during which the Court president Rosalyn Higgins will read the verdict.