Sarajevo Romeo & Juliet

Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo

Admira Ismić (born May 13, 1968) and Boško Brkić (Cyrillic: Бошко Бркић; born August 11, 1968).

The couple were natives of Bosnia and Herzegovina living in the city of Sarajevo during the Siege of Sarajevo (which lasted from 1992 to 1996 and killed 13,952 People including 5434 Civilians.)

 Admira was a Bosniak and Boško was a Bosnian Serb.

They were Childhood Sweethearts and fell in love at a time your Ethnicity or Religion didn’t matter in Yugoslavia.

Bosko’s Father died and he could have left Sarajevo on his own for the safety of Serbia where he had relatives, but he decided to stay with Admira.

They gathered enough money to pay the Bosnian Serbs, the Serbian Serbs and the Bosniaks for safe passage out of the City.

On May 19, 1993, as soon as they stepped foot on the Vrbanja Bridge to the Serb-controlled territory of Grbavica a shot rang out and killed Bosko instantly.

Another shot rang out and Admira screamed.

Wounded she crawled to the dead body of Bosko, hugged him and died.

Witnesses say she was alive for 15 minutes after being shot.

Bosko was 24 years old.

Admira was 25 years old.

Neither the Serbs nor the Bosniaks have taken responsibility for their deaths.

Their bodies lay on the Bridge for 8 days since no one wanted to risk being killed going to retrieve them.

On the 8^th day the Serbs forced Bosniak Prisoners of War to retrieve their bodies and they were buried separately in Serbian-Controlled Territory.

When the War was over Admira’s Parents reburied Bosko and Admira together in Lav Cemetery in Sarajevo.