Victims in war – heroes in peace [a case study of beleagured Sarajevo, 1991-1995 (-2012)

Abstract

The results of scientific research show the following: everyone who was in Sarajevo during the siege (1992–1995) has certain consequences (with moderate symptoms that are controlled), a small number of people have some manifestations of the disease, but unfortunately, there are those who have a complicated form of PTSD. On the other hand, those who held Sarajevo in the siege, have nightmares and spend long sleepless nights followed by the cries of victims, and according to the results of scientific research, most of them are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), because of which many have committed suicide. In Republika Srpska (1992–2005), suicide rates are high and critically high, which is alarming, not only for BiH society and the state, but also for the World Health Organization. The answer to the high and critically high suicide rates in Republika Srpska – especially critically high suicide rates of demobilized soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska (37,2) should (also) be sought in the fact that members of the Army of Republika Srpska were (also) the creators of planning, ordering and execution of numerous war crimes (they were sentenced to a total of 1,761 years in prison), and 19,473 of them (also) directly participated in the worst war crime – the crime of genocide against Bosniaks. Keywords: siege, defense, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide,