[JURIST] Four Bosnian Serbs who went on an "illegal military operation" during the Srebrenica massacre [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] in July 1995 went on trial Friday before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina [official website; HRW backgrounder] in Sarajevo. The indictment alleges that the men, two of whom are former military policemen, helped confine two to three thousand unarmed Muslim civilians in a school after Serb forces overran Srebrenica, a UN "safe area," and participated in the abuse, beatings, and cruel treatment of their detainees. The charges against them include not preventing the massacre, failing to protect civilians during the tragedy, and executing five Muslims.

Approximately eight thousand Muslims from Srebrenica and surrounding villages were killed during the Srebrenica massacre. About half of the victims have been found in over 80 mass graves in the area. In February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recognized the mass killings in Srebrenica as an act of genocide [JURIST report]. Reuters has more.