Sarajevo bread line massacre
| Sarajevo bread line massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Siege of Sarajevo | |
.JPG) The site of the massacre pictured in 2015 | |
| Location | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Coordinates | 43°51′32.44″N 18°25′31.89″E / 43.8590111°N 18.4255250°E |
| Date | 27 May 1992 |
| Target | Sarajevo civilians |
Attack type | Artillery attack |
| Deaths | 26 |
| Injured | 108 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Motive | Alleged false flag |
The Sarajevo bread line massacre[a] refers to the artillery attack on Sarajevo on 27 May 1992 which was originally believed to have been carried out by the Army of Republika Srpska. Three grenades were fired from the position in the direction of Borija, which exploded among civilians who were waiting in line for bread on Sarajevo's main street Vaso Miskin street (today's Ferhadija street). 26 citizens of Sarajevo were killed and 108 were wounded.
The massacre was filmed and the scenes of murdered, wounded and maimed Sarajevans traveled the world and significantly contributed to the public at large sympathizing with the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and against the Bosnian Serbs who were heavily criticized by the Western press on that occasion.
On 30 May 1992, this event was given as a reason for the United Nations Security Council passing the Security Council Resolution 757 which banned all international trade, scientific and technical cooperation, sports and cultural exchanges, air travel, and travel of government officials from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[1]
Claims of the Serbian side[edit]
The Serbian side denied responsibility for the war crime, attributing it to the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and interpreting it as a false flag operation, claiming that mortar shells were fired from positions that at the time of the event were held by forces loyal to the Bosnian government in Sarajevo.[2]
Prosecutor's Office in The Hague[edit]
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia withdrew the indictment from the case, in the process of the trial of the General of the Army of Republika Srpska Ratko Mladić as well as the first president of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić, in which it was stated that the attack was not carried out by Serbian forces or from Serbian positions. The tribunal however did not conduct any further investigation into the massacre.
Gallery[edit]
-
A memorial plaque on the site of the massacre -
A Sarajevo Rose, a concrete scar caused by a mortar shell's explosion that was later filled with red resin
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Notes[edit]
- ^ The massacre is also referred to as the Vaso Miskin street massacre or the Ferhadija street massacre.
References[edit]
- ^ Smith, Tony (5 February 1994). "SHELLING OF SARAJEVO MARKET KILLS 66, WOUNDS HUNDREDS". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Doyle, Leonard (21 August 1992). "Muslims 'slaughter their own people': Bosnia bread queue massacre was propaganda ploy, UN told". The Independent. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
