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🇫🇷 France /Culture & Society

Bosnia: Pig's head left in Muslim cemetery in divided city of Mostar

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • Unknown individuals placed a pig's head in a Muslim cemetery in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, sparking outrage.
  • The incident occurred on Monday morning as a Bosnian delegation prepared to commemorate war victims.
  • Police have opened an investigation into the desecration, which has led to the cancellation of the commemoration ceremony.

A pig's head was discovered in a Muslim cemetery in Mostar on Monday, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina divided between Bosnian and Croat sectors. The act has ignited anger within the Muslim community.

deep concern

— Mario KordicThe Croatian mayor of Mostar expressed his deep concern over the desecration of the cemetery.

Three decades after the 1992-1995 war, intercommunal incidents remain a recurring issue in the nation, which is split among Bosniak (Muslim), Serb (Orthodox), and Croat (Catholic) populations. Tensions often escalate in the lead-up to general elections, scheduled for early October.

The discovery was made as a Bosnian delegation arrived at the cemetery, located in a predominantly Croat neighborhood, to mark the anniversary of the formation of a Bosnian army brigade in 1992. The pig is considered an impure animal in Islam.

profanation of the cemetery

— Mario KordicThe Croatian mayor of Mostar condemned the act as an attack on the dignity of the deceased and mutual respect.

Mostar's Croat mayor, Mario Kordic, expressed "deep concern" over the cemetery's "profanation," condemning it as an "attack on the dignity of the deceased" and on "values of mutual respect." Bosnian MP Sanel Kajan described the situation as "unbearable," noting that the cemetery has been vandalized before, with gravestones damaged and swastikas painted on a central monument.

attack on the dignity of the deceased

— Mario KordicThe Croatian mayor of Mostar condemned the act as an attack on the dignity of the deceased and mutual respect.

While initially allied against Serbs during the 1990s war, Croats and Bosniaks also engaged in a brutal 17-month conflict (1993-1994), particularly in the Mostar region and central Bosnia. The Bosnian War resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths.

values of mutual respect

— Mario KordicThe Croatian mayor of Mostar condemned the act as an attack on the dignity of the deceased and mutual respect.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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