Hakija Turajlic
Encyclopedia
Hakija Turajlić was a Bosniak politician
, economist
and businessman who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
until he was murder
ed in 1993. Prior to the start of the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Turajlić was the director of the multifaceted Bosnian company Energoinvest and as such secured large sums of money for the defense of the country. He was known for his democratic and ability to cooperate, especially for persuading everyone through his own self-denial and hard work. His death at the hands of the Bosnian Serb Army in Stup was one of the great losses that the government was to sustain during the war.
On January 8, 1993 Hakija Turajlić went to Sarajevo International Airport
to greet Orhan Sefa Kilercioğlu
who accompanied an aid shipment from Turkey
. In order to return to Sarajevo
he had to pass through Serb controlled territory for which UNPROFOR was supposed to provide protection. The UN convoy which was taking Turajlić to Sarajevo was stopped by Serb soldiers at an illegal roadblock a few kilometers from the airport. After a 90 minute standoff a French
UNPROFOR officer opened the door to the armoured personnel carrier
in which Turajlić was sitting and a Serb soldier opened fire with an AK-47
. Turajlić was hit with 7-8 rounds. The French troops did not return fire, call for reinforcements — less than six hundred yards away — or detain the killers. British troops who arrived on the scene were ordered to leave. When the same French peacekeepers came home to France, they were decorated for heroism.
His murder strained relations between the Bosnian government and UNPROFOR and was also the reason that peace talks in Geneva
were cancelled. The UN and the Serbs both refused to cooperate with the Bosnian government investigation and help find the killer. A Bosnian Serb soldier, Goran Vasić, was eventually charged with Turajlić's murder but ultimately acquitted of that charge in 2002. A wall about ten meters long and just under two meters high, reminiscent of the Berlin Wall
, was put up by Serb residents in Dobrinja
after the Bosnian police entered disputed territory under Serb control to arrest a former Serb soldier Goran Vasić.
section of Sarajevo is named in his honor.
Boxing
tournament Memorijal Hakija Turajlić
takes place in Sarajevo
every year in his honor. Since 1994. more than 400 boxers from 30 World countries pariticipated on this tournament.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and businessman who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
until he was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed in 1993. Prior to the start of the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, Turajlić was the director of the multifaceted Bosnian company Energoinvest and as such secured large sums of money for the defense of the country. He was known for his democratic and ability to cooperate, especially for persuading everyone through his own self-denial and hard work. His death at the hands of the Bosnian Serb Army in Stup was one of the great losses that the government was to sustain during the war.
Murder
Sarajevo International Airport
Sarajevo International Airport , also known as Butmir Airport, is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southwest of the railway station in the capital city of Sarajevo in the suburb of Butmir....
to greet Orhan Sefa Kilercioğlu
Orhan Sefa Kilercioglu
-Defamation case:Turkish author Talat Turhan was recently convicted of defamation of Kilercioğlu in his recent book Extraordinary War, Terror and Counter-terrorism. Turhan was ordered to pay damages to Kilercioğlu, but he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights...
who accompanied an aid shipment from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. In order to return to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
he had to pass through Serb controlled territory for which UNPROFOR was supposed to provide protection. The UN convoy which was taking Turajlić to Sarajevo was stopped by Serb soldiers at an illegal roadblock a few kilometers from the airport. After a 90 minute standoff a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
UNPROFOR officer opened the door to the armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
in which Turajlić was sitting and a Serb soldier opened fire with an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
. Turajlić was hit with 7-8 rounds. The French troops did not return fire, call for reinforcements — less than six hundred yards away — or detain the killers. British troops who arrived on the scene were ordered to leave. When the same French peacekeepers came home to France, they were decorated for heroism.
His murder strained relations between the Bosnian government and UNPROFOR and was also the reason that peace talks in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
were cancelled. The UN and the Serbs both refused to cooperate with the Bosnian government investigation and help find the killer. A Bosnian Serb soldier, Goran Vasić, was eventually charged with Turajlić's murder but ultimately acquitted of that charge in 2002. A wall about ten meters long and just under two meters high, reminiscent of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, was put up by Serb residents in Dobrinja
Dobrinja
Dobrinja is the most populous neighborhood of Sarajevo. It's part of the municipality of Novi Grad. In 1993 a mortar attack was conducted from Serb-held positions on a football game. 13 people died and over 130 were wounded....
after the Bosnian police entered disputed territory under Serb control to arrest a former Serb soldier Goran Vasić.
Honors
A street in the DobrinjaDobrinja
Dobrinja is the most populous neighborhood of Sarajevo. It's part of the municipality of Novi Grad. In 1993 a mortar attack was conducted from Serb-held positions on a football game. 13 people died and over 130 were wounded....
section of Sarajevo is named in his honor.
Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
tournament Memorijal Hakija Turajlić
Memorijal Hakija Turajlić
Memorijal Hakija Turajlić is a boxing tournament named in honour of Hakija Turajlić, a former Bosnian politician, economist and businessman who was assassinated in 1993 during the Bosnian War...
takes place in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
every year in his honor. Since 1994. more than 400 boxers from 30 World countries pariticipated on this tournament.