The area of Sarajevo at the beginning of April 1992 was violently divided. Units of the 4th Corps of the 2nd Military District of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the armed forces that were gathered ...and supported the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) as well as many local and foreign volunteers and mercenaries occupied strategic positions in and around Sarajevo. Open armed aggression began after Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognized as an international independent state. After that, Sarajevo was blocked and put under siege for almost four years. After the partial withdrawal of the JNA from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 2nd Military District of the JNA was transformed into a part of the Army of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VSr RBiH), from August 1992 under the name of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS). Through the transformation, the 4th Corps of the JNA became the Sarajevo-Romanian Corps (SRK) VSr RBiH. In the period of the four-year siege of Sarajevo, in order to control Sarajevo, the said forces carried out a “coordinated systematic and long-term campaign of shelling and sniping” in order to “kill, maim, injure and terrorize the civilian population of Sarajevo”. In addition to artillery attacks, which were the most widespread way in which the inhabitants of Sarajevo were killed, another frequent way of killing was sniper attacks. The sniper clearly sees his victim and kills him with intent. Residents of Sarajevo were intentional victims of sniper attacks and were not safe anywhere. Without water, electricity, gas and other necessities of life, the residents fought a daily struggle for bare survival. It was a day and night fight for survival. Cruel individual and mass murders of civilians, including those of the youngest residents, followed by daily wounding, terrorizing, violations of psychological integrity, illegal actions and others, are part of the crimes committed against the inhabitants of Sarajevo in the period 1992-1995. years. Guided primarily by the verdicts and documents of the International Tribunal for War Crimes in The Hague, as well as other relevant archival documents and the statements and expertise of experts, the author shows in her work what the sniping campaign meant. A very important part is the display and description of the types of weapons that were used in such operations, as well as the description of localities and parts of the city from which snipers were most often used. Based on these data, it is very clear to see what the daily life of the inhabitants of the city under siege looked like. The organization of sniper training as well as the places where the training was conducted and in what way are also important parts of the work. The demand and delivery of sniper weapons and ammunition to the Sarajevo-Romania Corps, as well as the identities of the snipers, as well as hired mercenaries and volunteers from other countries, are parts of the work presented by the author. Based on the examples of the victims of sniping, primarily the killing of children, it is clear that the enemy's goal was to kill civilians with intent, directly and in a targeted manner. In this section, the investigated and identified minor victims of sniper attacks as well as the circumstances of the murder are presented in chronological order. As a clear indication that the sniper's intention was to kill them or seriously injure them with permanent consequences, the parts of the body that were hit, which are very often the head, the area around the heart, the stomach, and the lungs, are also shown. In the final part of the paper, the emphasis is on the prosecution and non-prosecution of persons responsible for crimes committed by snipers, before domestic and international courts. Although there is irrefutable evidence of sniper killings of Sarajevo residents, very few or no indictments are filed against those responsible. The direct perpetrators - snipers, who killed the inhabitants of Sarajevo with intent, have not yet been brought to justice and convicted of the crime.
The area of Sarajevo at the beginning of April 1992 was violently divided. Units of the 4th Corps of the 2nd Military District of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the armed forces that were gathered ...and supported the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) as well as many local and foreign volunteers and mercenaries occupied strategic positions in and around Sarajevo. Open armed aggression began after Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognized as an international independent state. After that, Sarajevo was blocked and put under siege for almost four years. After the partial withdrawal of the JNA from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 2nd Military District of the JNA was transformed into a part of the Army of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VSr RBiH), from August 1992 under the name of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS). Through the transformation, the 4th Corps of the JNA became the Sarajevo-Romanian Corps (SRK) VSr RBiH. In the period of the four-year siege of Sarajevo, in order to control Sarajevo, the said forces carried out a “coordinated systematic and long-term campaign of shelling and sniping” in order to “kill, maim, injure and terrorize the civilian population of Sarajevo”. In addition to artillery attacks, which were the most widespread way in which the inhabitants of Sarajevo were killed, another frequent way of killing was sniper attacks. The sniper clearly sees his victim and kills him with intent. Residents of Sarajevo were intentional victims of sniper attacks and were not safe anywhere. Without water, electricity, gas and other necessities of life, the residents fought a daily struggle for bare survival. It was a day and night fight for survival. Cruel individual and mass murders of civilians, including those of the youngest residents, followed by daily wounding, terrorizing, violations of psychological integrity, illegal actions and others, are part of the crimes committed against the inhabitants of Sarajevo in the period 1992-1995. years. Guided primarily by the verdicts and documents of the International Tribunal for War Crimes in The Hague, as well as other relevant archival documents and the statements and expertise of experts, the author shows in her work what the sniping campaign meant. A very important part is the display and description of the types of weapons that were used in such operations, as well as the description of localities and parts of the city from which snipers were most often used. Based on these data, it is very clear to see what the daily life of the inhabitants of the city under siege looked like. The organization of sniper training as well as the places where the training was conducted and in what way are also important parts of the work. The demand and delivery of sniper weapons and ammunition to the Sarajevo-Romania Corps, as well as the identities of the snipers, as well as hired mercenaries and volunteers from other countries, are parts of the work presented by the author. Based on the examples of the victims of sniping, primarily the killing of children, it is clear that the enemy's goal was to kill civilians with intent, directly and in a targeted manner. In this section, the investigated and identified minor victims of sniper attacks as well as the circumstances of the murder are presented in chronological order. As a clear indication that the sniper's intention was to kill them or seriously injure them with permanent consequences, the parts of the body that were hit, which are very often the head, the area around the heart, the stomach, and the lungs, are also shown. In the final part of the paper, the emphasis is on the prosecution and non-prosecution of persons responsible for crimes committed by snipers, before domestic and international courts. Although there is irrefutable evidence of sniper killings of Sarajevo residents, very few or no indictments are filed against those responsible. The direct perpetrators - snipers, who killed the inhabitants of Sarajevo with intent, have not yet been brought to justice and convicted of the crime.
The paper presents events from the recent, wartime history of Bosnia and Herzegovina related to the destruction and demolition of the Mostar bridges, links that connect the two banks of the Neretva ...River and whose destruction and demolition had multiple goals. In Mostar, an attempt was made to completely erase the existence of earlier cultures and traditions by demolishing bridges. By separating the coasts, he tried to divide the territory, threaten and destroy the population, cut the supply routes, put those defending their territory in a hopeless situation, and more. The emphasis in this paper will be on the destruction and demolition of the Old Bridge, the symbol of the city of Mostar and one of the most monumental buildings from the 16th century, both in Mostar and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the sake of a clearer and more complete picture in understanding the circumstances of the war, in the introductory part of the work, a brief description of the events in Mostar from April 1992, from the official start of the war and the deployment of military units, to the orders and attacks of those who led to the destruction of the city and the suffering of the population, is given . In the first part of the work entitled Demolition and damage of Mostar's bridges, a brief overview of the demolition of Mostar's, mostly city bridges, which took place mostly in 1992, is presented. Also described are the so-called improvised bridges that were created in the places of collapsed bridges. The method of creating and making such bridges, which is described in this part, is also very interesting. In the second part of the paper entitled Destruction of the Old Bridge until November 1993, the destruction and damage to the Old Bridge, which began in April and May 1992 during the shelling of the city and continued in 1993, intensively after May 9, 1993, is described. In the third part of the work, entitled November 9, 1993, the demolition of the Old Bridge, the events immediately before the complete demolition of the Old Bridge, the circumstances and the manner in which the bridge was demolished, and the events immediately after its demolition are described in detail. In the last part of the paper, entitled Responsibility for the demolition of the Old Bridge - reactions, shifting of blame and manipulation, the reactions to the demolition, domestic and international, attempts to shift the blame from those responsible and to cover up the real truth and manipulation related to it are shown. This part also presents the conclusions from the judgment of the International Court in The Hague, in which, among other things, the responsibility for the demolition of the Old Bridge was considered and established.
This paper deals with establishment and activities of Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna in the period from its founding in 1991 in Grude to the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement and ending the ...war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995. Analyzing the primary source material and unpublished documents of different provenance so far, we can see a phenomenon from the recent history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Because of clearer and more complete picture of the reconstruction of this historical phenomenon, in the introductory part of the paper we give a brief notice of events and circumstances immediately before the founding of the Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna. In the first part of the paper, entitled Establishing the Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna, we explain the idea, goals and founding of Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna. In the second part − Formation of the military forces of the Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna, we follow the key events and stages organized by the Croatian defence council. In the third part − Action of the Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna, we try to explain the very essence of Croatian community of Herceg-Bosna and the main basis of its activities in the sovereign and internationally recognized Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the last part, ICTY Final Judgments on the Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna we give a brief overview of the more important conclusions from the proceedings before the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICTY). Throughout the whole paper, it is predominantly interwoven and illustrated the role of the Republic of Croatia and its President Franjo Tuđman.
In this study the author provides an insight into the operation “Cagalj”, under the supreme command of Croatian general Janko Bobetko, the Croatian army and the corresponding military activities in ...Mostar area in June 1992. By analyzing the documents of various provenances, the event from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) and its role in the overall situation in Mostar and its narrower and wider surroundings was observed. For a more comprehensive and complete picture in the reconstuction of the operation itself the author analyses the negotiations and deals of that time
The authors follow the development of hegemonic ideas of Serbia and Croatia since their origins in the 19th century and attempts of their realization to the detriment of the territory of Bosnia and ...Herzegovina by the end of the 20th century. In the centre of attention of the presented work is the formation of the “Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna” on November 18, 1991 and the “Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina ” on January 9, 1992 as hegemonic projects of Croatia and Serbia in their joint and agreed attempt of destruction, demolition and mutual division of territory Bosnia and Herzegovina, the consequences of which are crimes of genocide and other forms of war crimes against Bosniaks.
The authors follow the development of hegemonic ideas of Serbia and Croatia since their origins in the 19th century and attempts of their realization to the detriment of the territory of Bosnia and ...Herzegovina by the end of the 20th century. In the centre of attention of the presented work is the formation of the “Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna” on November 18, 1991 and the “Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina ” on January 9, 1992 as hegemonic projects of Croatia and Serbia in their joint and agreed attempt of destruction, demolition and mutual division of territory Bosnia and Herzegovina, the consequences of which are crimes of genocide and other forms of war crimes against Bosniaks
Numerous crimes against children were committed in the aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995). In this paper, the subject of research will be a review of crimes against ...children in Sarajevo, Mostar and Srebrenica. Numerous documents, data, statements, information, findings and numerous verdicts of convicted war criminals before the ICTY and before domestic courts testify to the crimes committed in these three cities. The mass and manner of committing crimes against children in Sarajevo, Mostar and Srebrenica, as examples of crimes against children throughout the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, prove that the aggressors did not have a sensitivity to the youngest and most protected category of civilians.
The aim of the paper is to present the mass killing84 of children in the part of Sarajevo that was under siege from 6 April 1992 until 31 December 1995. Parts of the city that were under siege were ...the municipalities of Stari Grad, Centar, Novo Sarajevo, Novi Grad, and smaller sections of Vogošća and Ilidža. Numerous mass killings of children as part of the civilian population happened in Sarajevo. According to International Law o War, they enjoy protection. In 1989 the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, whereby al persons under the age of 18 enjoy special protection. To this one should add the 4th Geneva Convention from 1949, which refers in particular to the protection of women and children. Particularly cruel crimes were the killings of entire families, mass killing of children playing in backyards, at home, while playing or at school, and they will be presented in this paper. Most of them were executed by guided mortar shells fired from positions held by the RS Army (hereinafter: VRS). There are numerous examples of mass killings of children (111 investigated thus far) and this paper will present the most massive ones.
During July 1995 in the safe haven of UN in Srebrenica genocide was committed, well planned, efficiently organized and executed. The ideological and political bearer of the genocide was the Great ...Serb regime of Slobodan Milošević, and the main executors were the Army of the (Federal Republic) Yugoslavia, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republic of Serbia, the Serb Democrat Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Government of Republic of Srpska, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republic of Srpska, and the Army of the Republic of Srpska. The Ruling of the International Court of Justice in the case brought by Bosnia and Herzegovina against Serbia and Montenegro, delivered on 26 February 2007, states the following: ”By seeking to eliminate a part of the Bosnian Muslims, the Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide. They targeted for extinction the forty thousand Bosnian Muslims living in Srebrenica, a group which was emblematic of the Bosnian Muslims in general. They stripped all the male Muslim prisoners, military and civilian, elderly and young, of their personal belongings and identification, and deliberately and methodically killed them solely on the basis of their identity.” During July 1995 in Srebrenica genocide was also committed against children whereby all acts of International humanitarian right and other International conventions about the rights of the child were broken.
