MOTHERS OF SREBRENICA DISSATISFIED WITH BOSNIAN COURT'S RULING

Munira Subašić, president of women's Movement of Mother's of Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa.

Today, the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina sentenced a former Serb police officer to 20 years in prison for his role in the July 1995 systematic execution of 8,000 men and boys, but genocide survivors say he should have been convicted of genocide.

The Bosnian court confirmed that the massacre in Srebrenica reached the scale of genocide, but acquitted Kuvelja of genocide charges, saying the prosecutor had failed to prove that he consciously intended to exterminate Bosniaks as an ethno-national group. Prosecutors have announced they would file an appeal.

Munira Subašić, president of the Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves, called the judgment shameful, reported Sarajevo-based Anadolu Agency. Subašić lost 22 family members in the Genocide, including her 18-year-old son, husband and brothers.

'' This is a political and shameful judgment! Does this verdict  show any respect for the law and justice?! Those who've reached this verdict have no dignity. Kuvelja was not convicted of genocide, even though he participated in separation of mothers from their children, children from their parents, even though he led our loved ones in the infamous white house, where they cut off their ears, noses, pulled their eyes out and poured water on the wounds... May judges of the BH Court be ashamed of themselves. It looks like president of Republika Srpska [Milorad Dodik] who steadfastly denies genocide has spoken in this judgment. This is a political court. Srebrenica victims will not tolerate this and we will soon take action'', said Munira Subašić.

She added that it no longer matters how long sentences will be handed down to the perpetrators of genocide, but whether how many genocide convictions will be reached.

"Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina is not a court of justice, but the court of violations of human rights. We will never forgive the judges for delivering this verdict. With this verdict, we feel as if they had committed genocide against us one more time", Subašić said.

Today, women of Srebrenica also held a peaceful vigil in remembrance of all Bosniak victims of the Srebrenica region -- not just those who lost their lives during the Fall of Srebrenica in July of 1995 -- but also thousands more who were killed in the Srebrenica region during the brutal siege of Srebrenica and persecution of Bosniak population of eastern Bosnia between April 1992 and July 1995.