The day Dražen Erdemović testified about the genocide in Srebrenica

On this day, Dražen Erdemović, a Croat from Serbia, pleaded guilty to the murder of around 1,200 civilians from Srebrenica, along with members of the infamous Tenth Detachment of the Army of Republika Srpska.   

It was the first admission of guilt for crimes before the Hague Tribunal. Erdemović described in detail the mass executions of Bosniaks from Srebrenica near a farm in the village of Pilica. Around 1,200 Bosniak men between the ages of 17 and 60 surrendered near the UN military base in Srebrenica. On July 16, the captured male civilians were taken to the farm and executed in groups of ten. Erdemović allegedly resisted the order at first, but then he was told to hand over his weapon and join those in front of the firing squad.

After the cold-blooded executions, the victims were thrown into mass graves dug by excavators. Although the exact number of people Erdemović personally killed is not known, he estimated it to be around 70 men and boys.

In early 1996, Erdemović testified on camera to ABC journalists about the horrific liquidations in Srebrenica. A few days later, he was transferred to The Hague and charged with war crimes before the Hague Tribunal. He served just under three years in prison in Norway, and as he was a protected witness, his identity was changed.

The staff of the Hague Tribunal were shocked by his preliminary testimony, and then the world public was horrified by Erdemović's public confession. Erdemović's testimony revealed the true scale of the crimes against Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes Patria.