War crimes conviction against Bosnian war leader reversed

Naser Oric's conviction on charges that he failed to stop the massacre of Serbian soldiers during the Bosnian war in 1992-1995 was reversed by a UN appeals court today.  Oric, a Bosnian Muslim, led an insurgency against Serbian soldiers in the notorious city of Srebrenica, where, in 1995, Serbian soldiers invaded a UN safe area and murdered over 8,000 Muslim men.  

There have been assertions that Oric's attacks on Serbian soldiers constituted vicious acts of revenge, rather than self-defense.  However, the appeals court found that, while crimes were committed against Serbian soldiers in Srebrenica, Oric did not have control over these crimes.

Perhaps ironically, this is similar reasoning that has been used to reduce charges for many Serbian commanders, and that the ICJ used to acquit Serbia of genocide altogether in 2007. Crimes were committed.  Individuals are not responsible. 

Certain members of the Serbian Army have been convicted of genocide.  General Ratko Mladic has been charged with genocide but remains in hiding, most likely in Serbia.