Women in Black Letter to Women of Srebrenica

18 December 2006

The Women in Black, provoked by the decision of the Dutch Government to award medals to the 350 soldiers that stood by and watched the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, sent a letter to the associations of women from Srebrenica, in which they condemned the decision.

In the letter, Women in Black express their solidarity with the women of Srebrenica and bitterness over the decision of the Dutch right-wing cabinet. The crime of Potocari, says the letter, is condemned as one of the worst war crimes of the 20th century, and it wouldn�t happen if the members of the Dutch battalion of UNPROFOR just did their job that brought them to the Protected Area in the first place.

�Instead of protecting the civilian population, the well-paid soldiers actually participated directly in the genocide when they handed over the unarmed civilians to Mladic�s fascist troopers�, says the letter.

According to WIB, that should suffice to see that at least on of the commanding officers of the Dutch battalion is accused at the Hague war-crimes tribunal. Instead, they are decorated with medals of valour, says the letter.

"The solidarity of militarists of all nations once again triumphed over justice, as proven by this decision to decorate the soldiers. At the same time, it confirms the validity of the Women in Black ethical principle: Not in our name!� says the letter.

The Women in Black expect from the Dutch peace movement to reconsider that principle seriously and to start its implementation in practice. That is the only approach for the Dutch society to reduce its responsibility for its participation in the genocide.