Stinger Press
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina- After several violent protests, Bosnians all over the country are taking to the streets; however this time it is to clean up. For three weeks or more, the people of this small nation located in the Balkans have resorted to demonstrations resulting in clashes with government police. The people were fighting the government over promises of economic prosperity that were made in the 2010 election, by the current leading Social Democratic Party. In response, Bosnians have revolted in the major cities of Zenica, Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo. The uprisings are reported to of started in the northern town of Tuzla, over the closure of key factories that now have left many unemployed. The protests have been deemed the most violent clashes since the Bosnian-Serb war in 1992.
Years of Unrest
Today the world looks on cautiously as Bosnians everywhere seek a government to be fair, an economy to provide jobs, and a secure and safe future for their sovereign country.
Bosnia, and the Balkan region as a whole, has been in some sort of conflict at some point in history. Everything from political injustice, militancy, religious extremism, and the question of nationalism have been debated, and in most instances shot down by an opposing force. The country has seen war at every turn at any given time. Most recently was the division between civilians, and the Bosnian-Serb national movement. This caused the big war that stretched from 1992-1995. The war drew a lot of shock and awe around the world for the atrocities committed by the Bosnian-Serbs. Over 100,000 Bosniaks, or Muslim born Bosnians, were executed by what the United Nations condemns as one of the worst mass executions in modern time since Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust.
The idea behind the genocide was to target Bosnia-Herzegovina’s multi-ethnic standards; an ethnic cleaning as proclaimed by Bosnian-Serb nationalist leader Radovan Karadzic. Under the same idea as leaders like Adolf Hitler, the general wanted to eradicate all Muslim born citizens from his country.
Karadzic faced war crimes, and in addition was put to trial for crimes against humanity. In front of a United Nations courtroom, The Hague, he was charged with the round-up and execution of 8000 Muslim Bosniaks taking place at Srebrenica in July of 1985.
