Niš-based lawyer Srđan Aleksić, whose office is leading cases in Serbia against NATO, stated for RTRS that the Alliance should be held responsible for the use of depleted uranium in Serbia and Republika Srpska, emphasizing that there is both a legal and moral basis for this.
- “The depleted uranium that was dropped on Serbia and Republika Srpska is here for eternity, and it will be very difficult for us to clean it. The responsible parties are obligated to carry out decontamination and compensate the citizens for the damage,” Aleksić said.
He called on all citizens from Serbia and Srpska who have been diagnosed with cancer and who were present in or near bombed areas to contact his law office to initiate legal proceedings against NATO.
Aleksić mentioned that he has initiated 35 such cases before the Higher Court in Belgrade, with some already in the final stages.
He explained that the compensation could amount to around 100,000 euros, as requested in one lawsuit, noting that this is a minimal sum to cover medical treatment and other related expenses for the affected individuals and their families.
Aleksić said that biopsy results are key to determining the presence of depleted uranium in the body, adding that there are seven to eight types of cancers caused by it.
He explained that all citizens who were present in or near bombed areas and have been diagnosed with cancer should provide his office with biopsy results, which are then sent to laboratories in Italy for further analysis. If the presence of depleted uranium is confirmed, a lawsuit against NATO is initiated.
Angelo Tartaglia, a lawyer from Rome who has won several cases in Italian courts against the Ministry of Defense of Italy on behalf of Italian soldiers who developed or died from cancer after being directly exposed to depleted uranium during missions in Kosovo and Metohija, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, said that the goal of these proceedings against NATO is to protect the rights of all citizens harmed by the bombings and to secure compensation.
Source: RTRS
