Brezovo Polje is a town in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina and is located within the Brčko District. Brezovo Polje is located 14 km east of the city of Brčko. It is situated by the River Sava which has provided the town with fishing and recreation. The population of Brezovo Polje was 2,041 at the time of the 1991 census. No census has been conducted following the war, and the total population is likely to have reduced due to the displacement of its population through ethnic cleansing. The displaced people of Brezovo Polje form part of the 2 million strong Bosnian diaspora .

Population and Demographics

It is believed that Brezovo Polje was first settled in the 1860s by Muslim refugees fleeing Serb persecution and expulsion from Serbia . Since then the population of Brezovo Polje has grown to include other ethnic groups. The Serb Orthodox church which is located in the centre of town remains a testament to the overall multi-cultural and tolerant nature of Brezovo Polje.

Brezovo Polje
Census Year	1991
Muslim	1,158 (56.7%)
Serb	729 (35.7%)
Croat	14 (0.7%)
Yugoslav	99 (4.9%)
Other	41 (2%)
Total	2,041

War

The demographics of Brezovo Polje shifted dramatically in 1992 as a result of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 15–17 June 1992, the town was occupied by Serb paramilitaries (Arkanovci, Šešeljovci, Mauserovci and White Eagles) which conducted a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign against the non-Serb population of Brezovo Polje . Members of the adult male non-Serb population were taken to Luka Concentration camp in Brčko, and then to Batkovići (near Bijeljina) where they were subject to regular beatings, torture and executions.

The remaining non-Serb women and children were loaded onto buses by the same Serb paramilitaries. The expelled women and children were taken to Ceparde where all valuables were confiscated by the Serb paramilitaries. Girls and women were hand picked by Serb soldiers and raped repeatedly. Roy Gutman, a war-time reporter, wrote about his encounters with the 40 rape victims from Brezovo Polje . Roy Gutman also reported that the expelled women and children from Brezovo Polje were driven around for more than 2 days, and were subsequently "held under armed guard for four nights without food or water in a parking lot in Ban Brdo".

Azizija Mosque

The Azizija Mosque was built in the 1860s in Brezovo Polje as a result of the settlement of Muslim refugees from Serbia. The mosque was the cultural and religious monument representing the local Muslim population. The mosque was a substantial structure, with a large dome and a 30 m tall minaret. It is the only mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was built in the Turkish/Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian baroque style. The harem (graveyard) of the mosque contained a large number of tombstones (nišan) from the late 19th century.

In the summer of 1992, following the expulsion of the Muslim population of Brezovo Polje by Serb paramilitaries, the mosque was entirely demolished with dynamite. The rubble of this unique structure was removed to unknown locations and the site cleared completely. The destruction of the Azizija Mosque by the Serb paramilitaries was deliberate and planned, and its aim was to eradicate all vestiges of the Muslim population. However, the reconstruction efforts are under way in 2009 to rebuild the structure which is under UNESCO protection due to its rarity, cultural and religious significance, and association with the history of Brezovo Polje.

Sources

1. Commission to preserve national monuments
2. War Crimes in Bosnia - Hercegovina, Volume II, Helsinki Watch, A Division of Human Rights Watch.
3. Second Report on War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia
4. Mass Rape: The War against Women in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alexandra Stiglmeyer, U of Nebraska Press, 1994, ISBN 0803292295, 9780803292291.
5. 1991 Official Federal Census of Bosnia-Herzegovina