DHAKA: A Dutch court has ruled that the Netherlands is liable for the killings of more than 300 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys at Srebrenica in Bosnia-Hercegovina in July 1995.

The 300 men and boys were among 5,000 Bosniaks sheltering with Dutch UN peacekeepers at their Potocari base.

But the Dutch state was cleared of liability in the deaths of most of the 7,000 men killed at Srebrenica, reports the BBC.

The Srebrenica massacre is considered Europe’s worst since World War Two.

The case was launched by relatives of the victims under the name ‘Mothers of Srebrenica’.

The Hague district court said that Dutch peacekeeping forces, Dutchbat, did not do enough to protect 300 of the Bosniaks and should have been aware of the potential for genocide to be committed.

It said the state should have known they would be killed by Bosnian Serbs when they handed them over.

‘It can be said with sufficient certainty that, had Dutchbat allowed them to stay at the compound, these men would have remained alive. By cooperating in the deportation of these men, Dutchbat acted unlawfully,’ the court added.

It said that the Dutch state must accept some degree of responsibility for what happened and pay compensation to the families of the 300 victims.

BDST: 1841 HRS, JUL 16, 2014