VOA标准英语2008年-Srebrenica Massacre Victims' Families File Dutc

By Lauren Comiteau
Amsterdam
18 June 2008

Relatives of the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre¹ in Bosnia-Herzegovina have asked a Dutch civil court to wave U.N. immunity² and allow them to seek damages for their loss. About 8,000 Muslims were murdered by Serb forces 13 years ago after they overran what was supposed to be a U.N. safe area protected by Dutch peacekeepers. For VOA, Lauren Comiteau reports from Amsterdam.
　

Bosnian members of Mothers of Srebrenica organization speak to the press during session at court in The Hague, 18 Jun 2008

A massive civil suit was brought by about 6,000 family members of the victims. They say Dutch peacekeepers, working under the United Nations, were responsible for the protection of their loved ones, who were unarmed and innocent.

About 8,000 Muslim men and boys were executed during one week in the summer of 1995.

The United Nations claims immunity and refuses to take part in the case. It is a position supported by the Dutch government, which argues that U.N. immunity is crucial to ensuring that peacekeepers can do their jobs.

The Netherlands places the blame solely³ on the Bosnian Serbs, whose leaders Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic are still on the run from U.N. prosecutors⁴ who have charged them with genocide.

But a lawyer for the victims group Mothers of Srebrenica, Semir Guzin, says that by failing to live up to their mandate⁵ and prevent the murders, the United Nations and the Dutch are responsible for genocide.

"We have a lot of evidences that the Dutch government, at a very critical moment, took responsibility to issue direct orders to their soldiers on the ground. And the main goal of those orders was to protect the lives of their soldiers, not of the civilians⁶ in the safe area," Guzin said.

Victims' families have made their cases to other courts in The Hague. Both the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal that holds individuals criminally responsible and the International Court of Justice that rules on state responsibility, have established the crimes at Srebrenica as genocide.

But in this civil suit, the second such case to be heard in a Dutch court this week, judges must rule if the United Nations can be sued in national courts, and on the culpability⁷ of the Dutch state. It is a decision no doubt being watched by other nations whose troops are serving in peacekeeping missions throughout the world.

In 2002, the Dutch government collapsed⁸ after a report concluded it had sent its unprepared troops on an impossible mission. But the state denied liability for the murders, ruling out monetary⁹ compensation at the time.

1 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

2 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

3 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 culpability   

n.苛责，有罪

参考例句：

• As if the estrangement between them had come of any culpability of hers. 姐弟俩疏远的责任竟仿佛落到了她的身上！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• The offence, as now defined in English law, covers a wide spectrum of culpability. 英国法律规定，违法包括很多种过失行为。 来自互联网

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。