Urbicid u Sarajevu u vrijeme opsade 1992.-1996. godine
Urbicide in Sarajevo during the 1992-1994 siege

Summary/Abstract: Destruction of cultural heritage is a form of violation of international law of war and may be prosecuted as a war crime. According to the ICTY Statute, such crimes include conquest, destruction, intentional damage caused to institutions of religious, educational or scientific character, including historical monuments and works of at. There is a growing awareness of the link between destruction of ethnic groups and destruction of their cultural heritage. During the 1992-1995 war, military operations destroyed more than 2000 mosques, catholic churches and convents, and other religious and cultural facilities in the country, mainly through systemic destruction and by using explosives, with a manipulative excuse that they were legitimate military targets. Destruction of cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina was planned and organised systemically, as was the destruction of other valuable components of the versatile identity of BiH. During the aggression against BiH, attacks and looting were particularly focused on major industrial centres such as Sarajevo, Gorazde, Brcko… Sarajevo was not only the political and administrative centre of BiH, it was also an industrial, financial, educational and cultural centre, the home of numerous facilities and solid infrastructure. The damages caused to the city will never be fully investigated and presented realistically. The Research Institute for Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo has been able to substantiate the amount of some 14 billion Euros. According to ICTY investigations, the total number of persons who died, disappeared or were killed during the siege of Sarajevo is 18,888. Some 50,000 persons were wounded, lightly or severely. Those who fail to learn lessons from history will have to repeat them.

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