European Forum

Protests in Sarajevo turn violent, many people injured

Dozens of people were injured in Sarajevo yesterday (21 April) after clashes between police and protesting war veterans turned violent. The police have launched a major investigation into the incident. According to official police reports, 69 people were injured, including police officers.

Riots first broke out when police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd as several thousand Bosniak and Croat veterans of the country’s 1992-5 war attempted to storm the building of the regional government of the Croat-Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) federation. The veterans were protesting against measures by the government of the Croat-Bosniak federation to cut their welfare payments. They demand a reversal of a decision to tax their income.

Clashes escalate
The situation calmed temporarily as protesters waited for the Prime Minister to address them. After he failed to appear the demonstration again turned violent as protesters stormed the building for a second time, smashed all the windows, set fire to some of the ground floor offices and forced the police to withdraw. Veterans have said they will go out on the streets again next week if nothing is done to meet their demands. Local media report that significant damage has been done to the government building. The building has now been sealed off for the police investigation, but raiding was reported before the police arrived to guard the facility.

Following the clashes, the Prime Minister of the federation, Mustafa Mujezinovic, announced that the government would meet to discuss the veterans' demands within the next three days, local media reported. He also said that he would speak with representatives of the veterans' associations before the government meeting. Protesters had also made demands that Mujezinovic leave office; in an interview local media the PM refused to do so.

Controversial laws
The upper house of the parliament of Bosnia’s Croat-Bosniak region passed in February a set of laws reforming and cutting cash transfers to war veterans and families of fallen soldiers, paving the way for the release of much needed financial aid. The adoption of the laws was a condition for the release of the second instalment of the IMF’s €1.2 million three-year loan for Bosnia and a World Bank budget support loan of some €82 million. The government of the region intends to use a property census to determine the limits for welfare payments.

Sources: Balkan Insight; SE Times; B92