Naser Oric: a hero or a war criminal?

04/07/2008

While many Bosnian Muslims regard him a hero, others consider his release a result of a mock trial.

By Balkanblogs for Southeast European Times – 04/07/08

Naser Oric. [Getty Images]

Bosnia and Herzegovina's former war commander of Muslim forces in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, arrived at the Sarajevo airport after an appeals chamber at The Hague overturned his conviction Thursday (July 3rd). Two years ago, The Hague tribunal sentenced Oric for failing to prevent his troops from committing war crimes against Serb civilians in Srebrenica, well before the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

Oric, 41, was acquitted on all counts after serving two years in Shawinigan Prison at The Hague. For many Bosniaks, Oric is a hero who defended Srebrenica from the Bosnian Serb forces in the mid 1990s. Serb media and bloggers have mixed reactions to Thursday's acquittal.

"Terrible….And Serbs should trust this court? People, this is the greatest slap for the Serbs from The Hague!!! Games without borders continue!! I have read about this [acquittal] with so much bitterness, because I was born and raised in that city [Srebrenica] …Terrible," Srebrenicanin wrote on B92.

"While the so-called Serbian heroes, Karadzic, Mladic, for years now run and hide in the forests, the stables, and such, Bosniaks, when accused, board a plane and fly off to The Hague, knowing that they have only defended their people and have not committed killings," claims BiH.

Kravicanin says, "What and who did Naser Oric defend in Kravica, Magasic, Siljkovic, Kajic, Popovic, Ocenovic and other burned-down Serbian villages? He took away the right to life from the Serbs in those and many other pillaged villages."

Milos writes "Oric courageously left for The Hague and is now coming back. When will our 'hero' Mladic do the same? Didn't he fight in Srebrenica like Oric?"

Narod continues in the same vein, writing "Let Mladic go to The Hague like Oric, and let him prove that he did not command the Serb forces and that the people are backing him up."

"Personally, I think that we should have the courage and admit that Serbia lost the war in the 1990's, and that the crimes were committee by all sides, that is obvious, but the main perpetrators should not be sought among the likes of Naser Oric. Those like Oric were defending their land while we, of course not all of us, in the name of Serbian nationalism, warred in other lands and committed crimes," writes priznati glavnu krivnju za rat.

I think this [Oric acquittal] is just an unscrupulous blackmail for the Serbian war criminals: 'Here you are now, when you do not hand over those we seek.' The International Court has become a market place, and Serbia's internal affairs are getting worse," says sramota.