SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, April 21 (UPI) -- A protest in Sarajevo by thousands of Bosnian war veterans over pension cuts turned violent Wednesday and at least 20 people were injured, local media said.
The midday demonstration in front of the downtown parliament saw veterans of the 1992-95 war throwing rocks and bottles and smashing windows, Radio Bosnia-Herzegovina reported.
The veterans and their families tore down police barricades but were turned back by tear gas, the FENA news agency said.
Simultaneous protests were also held in the cities of Mostar and Travnik, but no violence was immediately reported, BalkanInsight.com reported.
The demonstrations came two months after the tripartite Bosnian-Muslim, Croatian and Serbian government announced cuts to veterans' pensions, which the report said consumed 40 percent of last year's budget.
The government said it had to make the cuts to qualify for World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans, the report said.
Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/04/21/Bosnian-veterans-besiege-parliament/UPI-69411271855970/.
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