Sheehan faces slander lawsuit for false quote from Dutch general

[ck4829]

Remarks made by former US General John Sheehan, suggesting the presence of openly gay soldiers in the Dutch military was responsible for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, have been met in the Netherlands with outrage, disbelief, and above all, derision. But a new group called Pink Army says it's no laughing matter. They want to haul General Sheehan to court on charges of slander and defamation.

Mr Sheehan made the accusation while testifying last week before the US Senate Armed Services Committee about President Barack Obama's plans to end policies that prevent openly gay men and women from serving in the US military. He cited a retired Dutch army commander, Henk van den Breemen, as the source behind his comment.

Some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces after Dutch UN peacekeepers failed to prevent the fall of the Srebrenica enclave in July 1995.

The Dutch government and military have denounced the comments, with caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende calling them "outrageous and beyond the pale." A statement from the Dutch Defence Ministry says Mr Van den Breemen himself has called the remark "absolute nonsense."

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/sheehan-risks-slander-case-anti-gay-slur-dutch-army

And if they win, what do they get? Sheehan would be required to make an apology in both US and Dutch newspapers for his lies.

[Solly Mack]

1. k/r

[babylonsister]

2. Good. This is one ignorant man; he deserves to be called out. nt

[dipsydoodle]

3. I don't understand

what could possibly be a causal relationship between openly gay soldiers in the Dutch military and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia.

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[dipsydoodle]

5. Kick.

.