Aliya İzetbegoviç: from prison to the presidency
Aliya İzetbegović, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first president and a leading figure in the country’s struggle for independence, died 23 years ago, on Oct. 19, 2003. His political struggle, intellectual contributions and commitment to Bosnia’s sovereignty continue to shape his legacy.
Imprisoned twice during the former Yugoslav period, İzetbegović became a prominent advocate for the religious and national identity of Bosniaks and later led the country through its fight for independence during the bloody wars of the 1990s.
Born in 1925 in Bosanski Šamac, İzetbegović moved with his family to Sarajevo at the age of three. He became involved in political and religious activism during his youth, opposing discrimination against Muslims and advocating equal rights for Bosniaks.
During World War II, Bosnian Muslims faced persecution under the fascist Ustaše regime and violence from Chetnik forces. İzetbegović later joined the Young Muslims movement, which sought to strengthen the community’s religious and national identity and address the destruction of Muslim homes and mosques.
Imprisonment and the rise of an intellectual leader
In 1946, İzetbegović was arrested alongside members of the Young Muslims movement and sentenced to three years in prison. After his release, he studied agriculture before completing a law degree.
He continued his human rights advocacy under Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito, publishing articles under the pseudonym “LSB.” His 1970 work, “Islamic Declaration,” brought his ideas wider attention across the Muslim world.
In 1983, shortly before the publication of his book “Islam Between East and West,” İzetbegović and 12 other Muslim intellectuals were arrested in what became known as the Sarajevo Trial.
Accused of ideological and political activities against the Yugoslav state, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The verdict was based in part on ideas expressed in his “Islamic Declaration.”
During his imprisonment, he wrote “My Escape to Freedom: Notes from Prison, 1983-1988.” He was released in 1988 under an amnesty.
In 1990, he became the founding president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), which emerged as a major political force among Bosniaks as Yugoslavia began to disintegrate.
Leading Bosnia through the war for independence
As Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina faced growing political tensions and the threat of armed conflict.
In the independence referendum held on Feb. 29 and March 1, 1992, most Bosnian Serbs boycotted the vote. Among those who participated, 99.7% voted in favour of independence, according to the reported results.
Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence, but the country soon descended into war. Under İzetbegović’s leadership, pro-independence forces confronted Bosnian Serb forces and, during parts of the conflict, Croatian forces as well.
The war was marked by widespread atrocities, mass killings, forced displacement, sexual violence and the destruction of communities. Sarajevo endured a siege lasting nearly four years, while cities and towns including Prijedor, Bijeljina, Zvornik, Višegrad, Srebrenica and Foča witnessed grave crimes.
The conflict ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995. Approximately 200,000 people were killed, while more than one million were forced to leave their homes, according to estimates cited in accounts of the war.
Commenting on the agreement, İzetbegović delivered a statement that became closely associated with his political legacy: “This is not a just peace, but it is better than the continuation of war.”
The agreement preserved Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state, organised into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, alongside the Brčko District. İzetbegović subsequently became the first chair of the country’s new tripartite state presidency.
A legacy preserved in books and public memory
İzetbegović stepped down from the presidency in 2000 because of health problems and announced in 2001 that he would not seek another term as party leader.
He died on Oct. 19, 2003, after a lifetime devoted to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s independence and political future.
In accordance with his wishes to be buried modestly among those who died in the war, he was laid to rest at the Kovači Martyrs’ Memorial Cemetery in Sarajevo. More than 150,000 people from various countries attended his funeral, according to contemporary accounts.
Beyond his political career, İzetbegović left an extensive intellectual legacy through works including “Islam Between East and West,” “Islamic Declaration,” “My Escape to Freedom,” “Notes from Prison” and “We Will Not Be Slaves.”
He was also a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause. In a letter to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dated Nov. 13, 1995, during the Dayton peace negotiations, İzetbegović praised the Palestinian people’s perseverance and their leadership’s commitment to national aspirations.
More than two decades after his death, İzetbegović remains a significant figure in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s modern history, remembered for his role in the independence struggle, his years of imprisonment and his writings on faith, freedom and political responsibility.
Source:AA
