On 10 February ICA received confirmation, from the Director of Archives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, that a significant amount of historical archives have been burnt, as a direct result of the actions of protesters on 7 February.
The Archives contain documents from the period from 1878 to 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of Finance administered Bosnia, but also earlier archives from the Ottoman period and later archives of the war crimes commission after world war two.
ICA will pass on any more information, which it receives about the extent of the damage, to the global archival community. Meanwhile it condemns unreservedly the destruction that has already taken place, because the memory loss will be permanent. It also trusts that appropriate counter-measures are being taken to prevent any further destruction from occurring. Finally, ICA wishes to express solidarity with colleagues in the Archives of the Federation who will face immense challenges in rebuilding their institution.