SOS BALKAN ROUTE

YOUTUBE PREMIERE
FROM KREISKYS LIVING ROOM

Nina Horaczek in conversation with Hasan Ulukisa

SOS BALKAN ROUTE
Human rights violations on our doorstep

We all know the pictures. For years, people trying to cross the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia have been forcibly prevented from doing so and pushed back. These same people are often confronted with being stuck in the border area in the Bihac region or in the Una Sana canton for months or even years. They have to fight for their survival in inhumane and miserable conditions.
On 23 December, the humanitarian crisis culminated in the flames of the IOM camp Lipa, which is hidden behind a forest landscape around 25 kilometres away from Bihać. The camp was intended as a temporary solution for around 1,400 people and consisted of several crew tents. It was clear from the outset that the camp could not be made winter-proof, as there was not even access to water and electricity. After several announcements, the IOM decided to withdraw - with fatal consequences: 1400 people are now facing the bitter cold of the Bosnian winter. It is estimated that around 4,000 refugees in the canton of Una-Sana are now homeless and without supplies

Hasan Ulukisa organises humanitarian aid in the refugee camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an activist with SOS Balkanroute. He also works for the refugee and migrant support organisation Volkshilfe. He has been documenting the inhumane conditions in the Bosnian refugee camps for some time.

Nina Horaczek is a political scientist, author and chief reporter for the Viennese weekly newspaper „Falter“.

In the new series Without Blueprint: Young Internationals, the Bruno Kreisky Forum gives young men and women the opportunity to present their research with experienced dialogue partners.