Serbia Asks U.N. Court to Halt ‘Genocide’

Serbia has asked the International Court of Justice to order the Bosnian government to prevent the “crime of genocide” against ethnic Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the U.N. court said Friday.

Serbia said it would present evidence to prove the Bosnian authorities were responsible for acts of genocide.

“The government of the so-called Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina should immediately . . . take all measures within its power to prevent commission of the crime of genocide against the Serb ethnic group,” Serbia said in its application to the court.

Its request for an urgent ruling is almost identical to charges of genocide that Bosnia leveled at Serbia during hearings before the court in April.

Bosnia accused Serbia at those hearings of committing the worst atrocities against civilians since World War II. The court subsequently ordered Serbia to take all measures in its power to prevent acts of genocide in Bosnia.

Bosnia has since returned to the court, accusing Serbia of plotting to partition and annex Bosnia by means of genocide and seeking a court order to prevent this. Hearings on that request are due to open Aug. 25, and legal sources said it was likely that Serbia’s application would also be dealt with then.

The International Court of Justice, informally known as the World Court, was set up under the U.N. Charter to settle disputes between states in accordance with international law.

Emergency proceedings, such as those invoked by Serbia and Bosnia, usually lead to a ruling within a matter of weeks, although a final verdict on all aspects of a case can take several years.