Writ of summons - Van Diepen Van der Kroef

The flight to the UN compound189. Dutchbat decided to withdraw to the UN compound at Potocari when the majority of theobservation posts had been surrendered and the blocking positions that had been takenup were in turn abandoned within hours. As described above, Dutchbat guaranteed thecivilian population that they would be safe on the compound. In the meantime requeststo Dutchbat for the return of the weapons were refused (see number 477 of the UNReport). In this connection Plaintiff refers to the statement of Plaintiff No. 10 (seeExhibit 10):‘We fled then to the petrol filling station, close to the small UNPROFOR base inSrebrenica. I saw that my father was there talking with someone from Dutchbat. I heardlater that he had asked whether the Muslims could get their weapons back, those that inthe preceding years had been surrendered or taken from them. That taking of weapons– I am now just going back in time – was fairly carefully done, for example, by goingfrom house to house. A nephew of mine, Ibro, was standing guard when he encountereda Dutchbat patrol. His weapon was then taken and the Dutch soldiers hit him so hardthat he fell and he now always suffers with his back. My father was not able on 10thJuly 1995 to get Dutchbat to give the weapons back so that we could defend ourselves.’190. An example is given on page 2609 of the NIOD Report of a Dutchbat soldier who calledto the civilian population of Srebrenica to go to the compound at Potocari. The refugeeswere effectively left to fend for themselves during their journey of about five kilometresfrom Srebrenica to Potocari. Plaintiff refers in this connection to, for example, thestatement of witness Mrs Sabra Kolenović, who confirms, as do so many witnesses, thatthe required and promised assistance was frequently not provided (see Exhibit 11):‘Dutchbat soldiers informed us that we had to go to Potočari. The Dutchbat compoundwas in Potočari. It was impossible for my father to walk so far. I wept with despair.Then the Dutchbat soldiers said that I must walk to Potočari. They would bring myfather to Potočari in their vehicle. I left my father behind with the Dutchbat soldiersand fled to Potočari.© Van Diepen Van der Kroef Advocaten 2007www.vandiepen.com83