ALARMING SITUATION IN TESLIC

 

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BH has expressed its great concern over the more and more difficult position of the citizens of Bosniak ethnic origin in the area of the municipality of Teslic. As victims of ethnic cleansing, a big majority of Bosniaks and Croats who had lived there, was expelled from Teslic. The remaining Bosniaks, about 1400, who live in eight villages surrounding Teslic, are being faced with unprecedented pressure and maltreatment. Hand grenades and other explosive devices are being thrown on their houses. Beatings are everyday appearance, and Bosniaks are physically prevented from visiting their houses and property. There is no one Bosniak employed in the area of the municipality, this making them dependent on their individual garden plots and making them live at the lowest existential limit. Education is a special problem. The majority of children do not attend schools since the beginning of the war, what is impermissible.
The RS Police does not react against these drastic appearances of violation of human rights, leaving the citizens of Bosnik nationality at the mercy of bullies.
As a consequence of such situation, the most renowned Bosniak citizens announced to the representatives of international community, that they would leave the area, what would, no doubt, cause exodus of the remaining Bosniaks.
At the time in which great efforts are being made to return refugees and expelled persons to their homes, as foreseen by the Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Accord, events happening in Teslic threaten to have new forceful moving of citizens and increase of number of refugees and expelled persons.
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BH demands most energetically from the RS authorities to protect the members of minority people and to respect the letters and spirit of the European Convention on Human Rights. We demand from the representatives of international community to find out the state of affairs of human rights in the municipality of Teslic and to undertake appropriate measures toward the authorities in Teslic on the basis of their findings. At the same time, we address our suggestions to the OSCE to disable those individuals and parties that are responsible for such situation to participate at the upcoming elections.



Sarajevo, 22 May 1997
No. 21-05/97
 

▲ To the top