UN court rejects Bosnia’s appeal of Serbia genocide ruling

9 March 2017, 8:00 pm

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The United Nations’ top court on Thursday rejected Bosnia’s appeal of a ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide during the 1990s civil war.

The International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, said it could not take action on the request because “no decision has been taken by the competent authorities, on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state”.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands (Vincent van Zeijst/Wikimedia Commons/File)

The appeal was lodged on February 23 under a push by Bakir Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, despite opposition to the move from the country’s ethnic Serbs and Croats.

According to the Dayton peace agreement that ended the country’s 1992-1995 conflict, key decisions cannot be taken without the consensus of representatives of the three main ethnic groups.

— AFP