Protests continue in Sarajevo for second week

Protests continued for a second week in Sarajevo as hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city on Monday, demanding a permanent solution to ID issue as well as other reforms. The protesters, many of them students and young parents, gathered in front of several institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Apart from ID issue demand, they called on government to reduce cost of their tuition and crack down on corruption. It was peaceful but noisy as car drivers blew horns to show their support to the protestors. The ID issue began in February when the constitutional court abolished the current law on IDs. The parliament failed to adopt a new law as parties did not reach an agreement, meaning new-born babies could not get IDs. Babies without IDs face difficulties in seeing a doctor in public hospitals or traveling overseas. Organizers announced further large-scale protests in front of the parliament on Thursday. Public action began on June 5 when dozens of young mothers gathered near the entrance of the parliament building to demand IDs for their babies. The government, under pressure, announced late in the day to give new-born babies temporary IDs for 180 days. More protesters, however, blocked the entrance of the building on June 6, demanding a permanent solution to the ID issue. Hundreds of people, including government officials and foreigners, were trapped inside for over 10 hours until the blockade ended early morning on June 7. Some officials accused protesters of taking foreigners as "hostages" for their own purposes while the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina called for calm. Monday's protest also saw an EuropeanUnion Force (EUFOR) helicopter flying over the parliament building which was later said to be a "routine" flight, not connected with the protest, according to local reports.