Happy Independence Day to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Institute for the Research of Genocide Canada
Published: February 28, 2011  

Happy Independence Day to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina!

The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada {IRGC} would like to pay tribute to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and wish them a happy Independence Day. On this day in 1992, the citizens of BiH overwhelmingly voted, in a referendum held across the country and supervised by international election monitors, for an independent state of BiH. Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognized in Europe as multireligious, multicultural, and multiethnic country, after finished Referendum where people voted for independent state, separate from ex Yugoslavia.

A genocidal war engulfed BiH after the declaration; killing thousands and displacing half of the BiH’s pre-war population. Today, we are not only celebrating our country’s independence, but are also remembering the innocent victims. The Dayton Peace Accords ended the war, but BiH still faces a number of challenges in its process of Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO membership.

Rich history of BiH shows a very special unity, harmony and spirit of our state. In our country we have four religions and churches, four majority nations, four cultures, traditions, and civilizations, each of them in its own, contributed to and built a distinctive Bosnian-Herzegovina culture, civilization, and tradition.

As we extend our congratulations to the people of BiH, IRGC will continue to advocate for an indivisible and sovereign BiH integrated into the EU and NATO.

Emir Ramic

Institute for Research of Genocide Canada