Srebrenica Mass Trial Opens in The Hague

The July 11, 1995 Srebrenica massacre is the only incident in the 1992-95 Bosnian war that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has ruled was genocide. To date, six people have been convicted in connection with the atrocities in Srebrenica. Two of those were convicted of genocide.

However, the two men considered to be ultimately responsible for the massacre -- former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Ratko Mladic -- are still at large.

For five of the seven men going on trial Friday, the 60-page indictment charges them with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The defendants are viewed as henchmen of former General Radislav Krstic, who has already been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Standing trial are: Ljubisa Beara, the chief of security of the main staff of the Bosnian Serb army; Ljubomir Borovcanin, the deputy commander of the Bosnian Serb special MUP police; Vinko Pandurevic, the commander of the Zvornik brigade that led the attack on Srebrenica; Drago Nikolic, the chief of security of the Zvornik brigade; and Vujadin Popovic, an officer allegedly responsible for managing the military police.

The two other suspects, Radivoje Miletic and Milan Gvero, are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The prosecution said that the two men, both officers attached to the main staff of the Bosnian Serb army, are responsible for blocking aid and supplies to Srebrenica.

Tragic events

From 1993, when Srebrenica was put under UN protection, the enclave was flooded by thousands of Muslim refugees driven out of their homes by a Bosnian Serb offensive. The town was cut off from the outside world by Serb troops, and food and medical supplies were scarce.

When the Bosnian Serbs finally overran the town on July 11, 1995, the lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers protecting the enclave did not stop the onslaught. In the days that followed, the Bosnian Serb troops separated the men from the women and children. They summarily executed some 8,000 Muslim men and boys at several locations around Srebrenica.

The victims' bodies were initially buried in a dozen mass graves, but the Bosnian Serbs moved them later to other locations to cover up the massacre. So far, forensic experts have found around 60 mass graves around Srebrenica.

The first day of the trial on Friday is devoted to procedural matters. The prosecution's actual opening statements are planned for August, after the summer recess.

For chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte, the trial could be the last chance to achieve at least some degree of justice for the victims of the Srebrenica massacre. Since the death of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic in his cell at The Hague, things have grown quiet at the tribunal. There are now more tourists than journalists lingering around when the court is in session.