International Court of Justice(ICJ) Ruled That Serbia and Croatia did not commit genocide against each other

The UN's top court ruled on Tuesday Feb 03,2015  that Serbia and Croatia did not commit genocide against each other's people during the bloody 1990s wars sparked by the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. 

The International Court of Justice(ICJ) said Serb forces committed widespread crimes in Croatia early in the war, but they did not amount to genocide.

 

The 17-judge panel also ruled that a 1995 Croat offensive to win back territory from rebel Serbs also featured serious crimes, but did not reach the level of genocide.  

International Court of Justice(ICJ) chief judge Peter Tomka said both sides had committed crimes during the conflict, including forcible displacement, but that neither had proved genocide, which 'presupposes the intent to destroy a group, at least in part'.

But he added: 'The court encourages the parties to continue their co-operation with a view to offering appropriate reparation to the victims of such violations, thus consolidating peace and stability in the region.'

The decision was not unexpected as the UN's Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, a separate court also based in The Hague, has never charged any Serbs or Croats with genocide in one another's territory.

The case had been described by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic as perhaps one of the 'most important events' determining his country's relations with Croatia.