Transcript Living through the siege of Sarajevo

Living through
the siege
of Sarajevo
Selma Rizvic
• this was NOT my idea
• I’m not very diplomatic
• I was living in Sarajevo under the siege
for 3.5 years
• I want to give you the context and my
personal feelings
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Who lives in Bosnia
• before the war
– Bosniaks (Muslims) – 44%
– Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox) – 31%
– Bosnian Croats (Catholic) – 17%
– Others (Jewish, non declared...) – 8%
• MIXED – no one-nation teritory
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Who are Bosniaks
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we are European Muslims
we are NOT white terrorists
Islam forbids suicide and killing innocent people
we respect all religions
we have many friends Catholic, Orthodox,
Jewish, agnostic
• some of our women wear veils, some wear mini
skirts – matter of choice, not religious rule
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
How it all started
• Yugoslavia – Federation of 6 Republics
and 2 autonomous regions
• dominated by Serbs
• Serbs always had idea of Great Serbia
• Milosevic – wanted to continue dominating
over Yugoslavia
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
How it all started
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Wars
• Slovenia declared independence
– 7 days war, no Serbs
• Croatia declared independence
– war
– Serbs from Croatia joined Milosevic
– occupied part of the country
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
War in Bosnia
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referendum for independence - 70% voted YES
Serbs did not accept results
UN recognized independent BH
1992 – aggression from Serbia + Bosnian Serbs
start of the siege of Sarajevo
GENOCIDE – all territories cleaned out of nonSerbs
• 200 000 people killed, millions expelled
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
War in Bosnia
• 1993 – Croats turned against Bosnians
• war with two enemies
• idea – to divide Bosnia between Serbia
and Croatia
• Bosniaks (Muslims) – to disappear
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Sarajevo
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3,5 years of siege
no water, no electricity, no heating, no food
difficult to move through the city
I was crossing it every day going to work
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Sarajevo
• airport - UN forces – maintaining the siege
• humanitarian aid
– half to Serbs
– half to Bosnians
• arms embargo
• 10 000 people killed in Sarajevo, 1000
children
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Why I say Bosnians
• we were (and are) fighting for Bosnia – a
country of equal rights for all nations and
religions, no domination
• we are Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, but
above all - Bosnians
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
How was the life under the siege
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tough – life danger every second
wonderful spirit of resistance
reconsidering the real values in life
PROUD!
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Intervention of NATO
• after genocide
• after 8000 people killed in 3 days in
Srebrenica, UN protected zone
• after many massacres of civilians in
Sarajevo
• after 3,5 years watching us dying
• thanks to Americans
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Dayton agreement
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end of the siege, November 1995
half country given to the agressors
message: GENOCIDE PAYS OFF!
created a monster of a country
– 2 entities
– 10 regions in one entity
– 1 district
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Dayton agreement
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Present structure of the state
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1 government – state level
2 governments – entity level
10 governments – cantonal level
1 government – district
too much administration
entities and nations can block every
decision
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
OHR
• Bosnia – a protectorate under the Office of
the High Representative
• High Representative
– his Majesty, king of Bosnia
– has authority to dismiss officials, change laws
– not very democratic
– has power to solve problems, but thinks it’s
better that “our politicians agree”!?
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Frustrations
• problem is not solved – Serb entity still
wants to join Serbia
• war criminals NOT arrested
• ICTY sentences – 15 years for genocide
• I don’t believe in justice, democracy and
human rights any more
• we need visas to travel anywhere
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Future
• we believe in multiethnic country
• Sarajevo, Tuzla, many cities in BH – good
example
• we are the healthy core of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
• we hope to win one day
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008
Thank you for your attention!
Long live Bosnia!
Questions?
Living through the siege of Sarajevo, Selma Rizvic, Graphics Hardware Workshop 2008