SAO Krajina
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Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina Srpska autonomna oblast Krajina Српска аутономна област Крајина | |||||||||
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1990–1991 | |||||||||
SR Croatia (red). | |||||||||
Status | Unrecognized state[1] | ||||||||
Capital | Knin | ||||||||
Government | Provisional government | ||||||||
• President | Milan Martić | ||||||||
Historical era | Croatia | 21 December 1990 | |||||||
• Declared itself the Republic of Serbian Krajina | 19 December 1991 | ||||||||
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Today part of | Croatia |
The Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina (
History
After the
In December 1990, the SAO Kninska Krajina encompassed the Community of Municipalities of Northern
The Serb National Council on March 16, 1991 declared Krajina to be independent of Croatia. On May 12, 1991 a referendum was held with over 99 percent of the vote supporting unification with Serbia.[1] On 1 April 1991, it declared that it would secede from Croatia.[2] Afterwards the Krajina assembly declared that "the territory of the SAO Krajina is a constitutive part of the unified territory of the Republic of Serbia".[1]
On 17 August 1990, an insurrection began in areas of the Republic of Croatia which were populated significantly by ethnic Serbs.[3] The organizers were armed with illegal weapons supplied by Milan Martić.[3] The revolt was explained by the Serbs with words that they are "terrorized [by Croatian government]" and that they "[fight for] more cultural, language and education rights". Serbian newspaper "Večernje Novosti" wrote that "2.000.000 Serbs [are] ready to go to Croatia to fight".
The Western diplomats commented that the Serbian media is inflaming passions and Croatian government said "We knew about the scenario to create confusion in Croatia...".[4]
Conflict soon began between the
On 19 December 1991, the two SAOs through the initiative of Milan Babić (president of SAO Krajina) and Goran Hadžić (president of SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia) were declared as one Serbian state with the name Republic of Serbian Krajina. On December 21, 1990, the municipalities of Knin, Benkovac, Vojnić, Obrovac, Gračac, Dvor and Kostajnica adopted the "Statute of the Serbian Autonomous Region of Krajina".[5] It merged with the Association of Autonomous Serb Municipalities and soon started making its own government institutions, including the Serbian National Council, a parliament for the region. In February 1992, the authorities declared independence. This self-proclaimed SAO Krajina was dissolved after August 5, 1995 when Croatian armed forces reintegrated its territories into Croatia.
See also
- Croatian War of Independence
- Breakup of Yugoslavia
- Republic of Serbian Krajina
- Serbian Autonomous Oblasts
- Kninska Krajina
- SAO Western Slavonia
- SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia
- Socialist Republic of Croatia
References
- ^ a b c Prosecutor v. Milan Martić Judgement. p. 46. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Accessed 13 September 2009. (On 16 March 1991 another referendum was held which asked "Are you in favour of the SAO Krajina joining the Republic of Serbia and staying in Yugoslavia with Serbia, Montenegro and others who wish to preserve Yugoslavia?". With 99.8% voting in favour, the referendum was approved and the Krajina assembly declared that "the territory of the SAO Krajina is a constitutive part of the unified state territory of the Republic of Serbia".)
- ^ Chuck Sudetic (2 April 1991). "Rebel Serbs Complicate Rift on Yugoslav Unity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
- ^ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- New York Times, August 1990
- ^ "Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts established pursuant to security council resolution 780 (1992), Annex IV - The policy of ethnic cleansing; Prepared by: M. Cherif Bassiouni". United Nations. 28 December 1994. Archived from the original on 23 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.