On Wednesday, 23rd November 2022, the District Court of The Hague delivered its verdict on the case of Chora plaintiffs vs The Dutch State. The Court ruled that the bombing by Dutch military of a Quala – an enclosed residential compound – in the district of Chora, Afghanistan in 2007, was unlawful and that the State must pay compensation to (the relatives of) the victims. The Dutch State failed to refute the contention that the attack was in violation of the international humanitarian law principle of distinction which requires that targeting must be done in such a way as to avoid civilian casualties wherever possible. The court was therefore bound to conclude that the bombardment was unlawful. The Dutch State is now liable to compensate the claimants, who lost in total twenty family members. The details of the compensation will be worked out in a following procedure.
The Nuhanovic Foundation welcomes this courageous decision, since the Foundation has provided financial assistance from the onset by providing funds to cover the initial investigations into the case.
