Web Action WA 13/05; AI Index EUR 63/002/2005

Start date: 04/07/05

Srebrenica: 10 years is too long to wait for justice

Ten years after their husbands and sons were massacred, the women of Srebrenica are still waiting for justice. Take action to demand the arrest of outstanding indicted suspects.

Ten years ago, around 8,000 Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) were massacred after the UN “safe area” of Srebrenica fell to the Bosnian Serb Army. Crimes committed in Srebrenica have been recognized as amounting to genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (Tribunal).

Although some perpetrators have been prosecuted at the Tribunal, indicted suspects former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladić and former Bosnian Serb Assistant Commander Zdravko Tolimir are still free. They are believed to be either in Serbia or in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ten years after their husbands and sons were massacred, the women of Srebrenica are still waiting for the men who killed their husbands and sons to be brought to justice. They are still waiting for the Bosnian Serb authorities in the Republika Srpska to tell them exactly what happened to their family members. The majority are still waiting for the bodies of their relatives to be returned to them for burial.

They are still waiting to move on with their lives.

There cannot be reconciliation and sustainable peace in former Yugoslavia without justice for the victims of the wars in the 1990s.

Please write to the Prime Ministers of Republika Srpska and Serbia urging them to arrest and transfer to the Tribunal all indicted suspects.

Dear Prime Minister,

Ten years after the Srebrenica massacre, I am writing to express my concern about the continuing impunity for this crime, which has been recognised as amounting to genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

I welcome the recent improvement in the cooperation between authorities in Serbia and in Republika Sprska with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and in particular the transfer to the Hague of a number of indicted suspects.

However, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladić and former Bosnian Serb Assistant Commander Zdravko Tolimir, who are indicted by the Tribunal for crimes committed in Srebrenica are still free. They are believed to be either in Serbia or in Republika Sprska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I urge you to:

• take immediate steps to ensure that Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, Zdravko Tolimir and all other indicted suspects are arrested and transferred to the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

• to ensure full cooperation with any criminal investigations that may be opened into the events at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in Serbia and Montenegro.

Yours sincerely,

Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska

Pero Bukejlović

Vuka Karadžića 4

78000 Banja Luka
Republika Srpska

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fax: + 387 51 331 366

Email: kabinet@vladars.net

Prime Minister of Serbia

Vojislav Koštunica

Nemanjina, 11

11000 Belgrade

Serbia and Montenegro
Fax: + 381 11 3617 609
Email: predsednikvladesrbije@srbija.sr.gov.yu

Salutation: Dear Prime Minister

Srebrenica women whose relatives are among the “disappeared”.
©AI

Under the "completion strategy", laid down by the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has completed all investigations and indictments for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide at the end of 2004 and is expected to complete all cases, including appeals, by 2010.

Amnesty International believes that there cannot be reconciliation and sustainable peace in the former Yugoslavia without justice for the victims of the wars in the 1990s and calls on the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia beyond the date of 2010and provide sufficient funds for it to carry out its mandate effectively.

Read more on AIs concerns on the implementation of the "completion strategy" of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR050012005?open&of=ENG-BIH