The International Court of Justice has rejected claims that Serbia and Croatia committed genocide during the conflict that led to the break up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
In a ruling earlier today, Peter Tomka, president of the International Court of Justice, stated that whilst both countries had committed crimes during the war, neither had proved the "specific intent required for acts of genocide".
Approximately 20,000 people were killed during the 1991-1995 conflict. Most of the deaths were Croatian.
Speaking on Serbia's campaign against Croatian towns and villages Judge Tomka said "acts of ethnic cleansing may be part of a genocidal plan, but only if there is an intention to physically destroy the target group."
"Croatia has not established that the only reasonable inference was the intent to destroy in whole or in part the (Croatian) group," he added, saying, “the crimes committed against ethnic Croats appears to have been aimed at the forced displacement of the majority of the Croat population from the regions concerned, and not at its physical or biological destruction”.
See the full ruling here.
Reacting to the verdict Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said the verdict "marks the end of one page on the past, and I'm convinced we will start a new page on the future, much brighter and better." Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said the ruling was "one of perhaps the most important events for our bilateral relations with Croatia".
Meanwhile Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said the ruling would be part of "closing this historic chapter and moving on to a better and safer period for people in this part of Europe."
In a ruling earlier today, Peter Tomka, president of the International Court of Justice, stated that whilst both countries had committed crimes during the war, neither had proved the "specific intent required for acts of genocide".
Approximately 20,000 people were killed during the 1991-1995 conflict. Most of the deaths were Croatian.
Speaking on Serbia's campaign against Croatian towns and villages Judge Tomka said "acts of ethnic cleansing may be part of a genocidal plan, but only if there is an intention to physically destroy the target group."
"Croatia has not established that the only reasonable inference was the intent to destroy in whole or in part the (Croatian) group," he added, saying, “the crimes committed against ethnic Croats appears to have been aimed at the forced displacement of the majority of the Croat population from the regions concerned, and not at its physical or biological destruction”.
See the full ruling here.
Reacting to the verdict Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said the verdict "marks the end of one page on the past, and I'm convinced we will start a new page on the future, much brighter and better." Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said the ruling was "one of perhaps the most important events for our bilateral relations with Croatia".
Meanwhile Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said the ruling would be part of "closing this historic chapter and moving on to a better and safer period for people in this part of Europe."