The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday slashed the state's liability for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian War, saying peacekeepers had only a "slim" chance of preventing the deaths of hundreds of Muslim men.
Judges reduced to 10 per cent from 30 per cent the Dutch state's responsibility for compensation to the families of 350 victims killed by Bosnian Serb forces who overran the safe haven.
Lightly-armed Dutch UN peacekeepers were overrun by the Bosnian Serbs during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, triggering the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.
Almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in the genocide at Srebrenica.
"The Dutch State bears very limited liability in the 'Mothers of Srebrenica' case," the Supreme Court said.
"That liability is limited to 10 per cent of the damages suffered by the surviving relatives of approximately 350 victims."
But explaining the decision to reduce the liability, the Supreme Court said that "the chance that the male refugees would have escaped the Bosnian Serbs had they been given the choice to stay was slim, but not negligible."
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