1995 CE · Europe · War
Srebrenica: genocide, evidence and accountability
The fall of a UN-designated safe area was followed by the organised killing of Bosnian Muslim men and boys and the expulsion of other residents.
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A safe area that did not provide safety
Srebrenica was designated a United Nations safe area in 1993. Bosnian Serb forces overran the enclave in July 1995. Thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys were detained and killed; women, children and older people were forcibly removed.
Established findings
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia determined that the mass executions constituted genocide. Its evidence included testimony and the reconstruction of killing and burial operations. The Tribunal’s documentary account describes more than 8,000 men and boys killed.
How to present the record
Judicial findings should be distinguished from allegations in an indictment and from a witness’s account of a particular incident. Linking to the Tribunal’s findings and testimony makes that distinction visible. Denial does not make the established legal finding an unresolved historical debate.