Historical Understanding Activity

Document 7: Jasmina and Tanja’s Story
 
In June 1991, Jasmina and Tanja were 18 years old and best friends. They had grown up together in Visegrad, a town in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jasmina was a Bosnian Muslim and Tanja was a Bosnian Serb. Ethnic and religious differences, however, were not important to the girls. Such differences were common in Yugoslavia, where the population was very diverse and where people of different ethnicities and religions frequently had close relationships with one another.
 
Tanja had become an honorary member of Jasmina’s extended family. In Tanja’s own family, money was hard to come by, and her father was often drunk and violent. She frequently went to members of Jasmina’s family for comfort and support. But in the summer of 1991, things began to change..
 
That summer, a war broke out when two of the six nations of Yugoslavia (Croatia and Slovenia) declared their independence. Serbia, where the central government of Yugoslavia was located, objected and sent the Yugoslav army into both countries, claiming they were protecting the rights of local Serbs. The Yugoslav army was dominated by Serbian officers and soldiers who were mostly Orthodox Christian.
 
In July and August of 1991, the army frequently marched through Visegrad, where Jasmina and Tanya lived. Many Serbian residents of the town, including Tanja, cheered them on. Chetniks, a paramilitary group known for their extreme nationalistic views and their intolerance of any Yugoslavs who were not ethnic Serbians, also marched through Visegrad. Tanja cheered for them too and was seen giving the special Chetnik threefingered sign of support.
 
When Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in March 1992, the Yugoslav army and Chetnik troops attacked Visegrad. Most Muslims had to flee the city, including Jasmina and her family - leaving all of their possessions behind.
 
Tanja stayed in Visegrad. She helped the occupying army and Chetnik forces round up Bosnian Muslims, many of whom she knew. The Serbian and Chetnik authorities asked her to spy on the homes of Bosnian Muslims and report any who tried to return. Tanja even watched over the apartment of Jasmina’s cousins. Many Muslims who tried to return were captured and then tortured, raped or murdered.
 
Today, Tanja still lives in Visegrad. After the war, she moved to a nicer apartment once owned by Bosnian Muslims. Few Muslims ever returned to Visegrad. Jasmina now lives in the United States.