On 20 April 1992, Serb genocidaire Biljana Plavšić declared that Bijeljina - the first major settlement in BiH to be 'ethnically cleansed' - had been "liberated".
My article for @BalkanInsight: How Bijeljina Became a ‘Blueprint for Genocide’ in Bosnia
https://t.co/8eWFYc0kYH
As Bosnians across the world celebrate their country's qualification for the World Cup knockouts, celebrations are being banned by the Republika Srpska police in Zvornik, Bosnia.
Bosnian joy terrifies the Republika Srpska regime because it unsettles the genocidal foundations on which the entity was built.
Solidarity with @Camil_Durakovic and the people of Zvornik.
🇧🇦 Ne damo zastave Bosne i Hercegovine. Na Drini se brani domovina.
🇧🇦 Zabrana mirne proslave pobjede reprezentacije Bosne i Hercegovine u Zvorniku, uz policiju i Žandarmeriju RS, nije nikakav “red i mir”, to je čisto zastrašivanje građana koji su samo željeli slaviti uspjeh svoje države.
🇧🇦 Mladi su zaustavljani, legitimisani, testirani, vraćani… samo zato što nose dres Bosne i Hercegovine. To nije sigurnosna mjera. To je poruka da u pojedinim gradovima ove zemlje zastava, dres i radost zbog Bosne i Hercegovine navodno nisu poželjni.
‼️ Na takvu poruku ne pristajemo.
🇧🇦 Bosna i Hercegovina je država svih njenih građana. Njena zastava nije provokacija. Njena reprezentacija nije prijetnja. Njeni navijači nisu problem. Problem je politika koja od ljubavi prema domovini pokušava napraviti incident.
‼️Tražim hitno očitovanje MUP‑a RS i odgovornost svih koji su učestvovali u zastrašivanju građana Zvornika. Policija se finansira novcem svih građana, pa i onih koji vole Bosnu i Hercegovinu, i ne smije biti instrument političkog ponižavanja.
🇧🇦 Ne damo zastave Bosne i Hercegovine.
Ne damo pravo djece i mladih da se raduju svojoj državi.
Ne damo da se Bosna i Hercegovina u njenim gradovima tretira kao tuđa zemlja.
💙🇧🇦 Zvornik je Bosna i Hercegovina. Svaki njen grad je Bosna i Hercegovina. I tako će ostati.
35 years ago, the presidents of then Yugoslav federal states Croatia and Serbia met to discuss how they would ensure Bosnia and Herzegovina in every today and every tomorrow died. They were undoubtedly certain that, as one of their proxies Radovan Karadžić chillingly predicted, they would wipe Bosnia (and its Bosniaks) off the map.
The genocidal wars of aggression that ensued at their hands set about fulfilling this task. Their foot soldiers were hellbent on destroying the very fabric of daily life. In so doing, they believed the indigenous people of Bosnia would have no other choice but to scatter across the world as their homeland was banished to the lamenting footnotes of history.
Today, 35 years on from that fateful meeting, it is clear that those who tried to destroy Bosnia have failed.
Bosnia lives and breathes in its land and its people. Today, the scenes from the World Cup are filled with the golden lily in all its glory.
And as Bosnia stands on the brink of qualifying for the next round, we will hear thousands, millions, of golden lilies roar.
⚜️💚
Just finished listening to the conversation between @JasminMuj and @georgiokon. As a fan of both, I really enjoyed it. Thoughtful, insightful, and full of important reflections on history, identity, and the future.
Well worth a listen. 👏
How did a Greek-Cypriot boy who grew up in the most extreme corners of the Greek Orthodox community end up falling in love with Srebrenica and its Bosniak survivors?
I’ve been asked this in private many times. This chat with @JasminMuj was my first chance to explain in front of a mic.
Listen to the full interview below.
Terrific reach for this @balkanomnicon chat with @georgiokon on his first encounters with eastern Bosnia, his thoughts on the ethics and responsibilities of researching genocide, and the courage to reject the prejudices of our own communities. Listen now: https://t.co/niFnOUBz8U
Terrific reach for this @balkanomnicon chat with @georgiokon on his first encounters with eastern Bosnia, his thoughts on the ethics and responsibilities of researching genocide, and the courage to reject the prejudices of our own communities. Listen now: https://t.co/niFnOUBz8U
Zar Trojka nije obećavala da će, izbacivanjem SDA-a u korist koalicije sa particionistima, uvesti BiH u novo doba politike bez korupcije? Nešto sam zbunjen.
Sa računa Predsjedništva Bosne i Hercegovine izdvojeno 39.397,20 KM za aviokarte od Sarajeva do Kanade. Osim toga, iz državne kase BiH je isplaćeno 5.000 KM hotelu za jednu noć boravka.
Građani Bosne i Hercegovine će snositi i troškove korištenja VIP salona na aerodromima. Taj račun još uvijek nije stigao, a po pravilu iznosi 14-15 hiljada KM.
LINK https://t.co/lSE7cwkgr0
There is something quite perverse about Bosnian Croat partitionists like Željana Zovko speaking of 'separatist extremism' tearing apart Bosnia and Herzegovina, all while lobbying for an electoral system that would entrench the illogics of ethnonationalism in Bosnia.
Such is the Orwellian gymnastics of the HDZ BiH.
LISTEN: My talk with the formidable @JasminMuj on the @balkanomnicon podcast.
We discuss how I came to Srebrenica in 2022, the community I found there and the lessons I learnt about Greek-Serb ethnonationalism.
The episode is now available on the @odgovor_ba Youtube channel and all major streaming platforms.
My humble thanks again to Jasmin and the team for their invitation.
NOW: My new @balkanomnicon chat with genocide researcher @georgiokon about how rejecting bigotry led him to Srebrenica, and the mentorship and community he found there, is now live on the @odgovor_ba YouTube channel, and all major streaming platforms. https://t.co/Ihrbo9FYpA