A fragment from the 1991 Austrian-German documentary "Allah's Balkan Sons", showing the beauty of Mostar's Old Town before fighting started in 1992. Between 1992 and 1993 Mostar was subject to a 18 month siege. The Yugoslav Army (JNA) first bombed Mostar on 3rd April1992. In June 1992 the JNA was forced out of the city but continued shelling it from the outside, damaging or destroying a number of civilian objects and killing of thousands of civilians. The Old Bridge ("Stari Most") that gave the town its name was built by Mimar Hayruddin, a student of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Construction began in 1557 and took nine years. The eminent XVII century traveller Evliya Chelebi wrote about it: "I have travelled sixteen empires, but never have I seen so high a bridge. It looks like a rainbow arch rising up to the Milky Way spanning the two cliffs". This symbol of a city was destroyed by Croatian units on November 9, 1993 at 10.15 in the morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScRpK13xqMI&feature=related The commander of the Croat forces, and a prominent Croatian political leader at the time, Slobodan Praljak, is on trial at the Hague Tribunal on charges of the bridge destruction among others. *** The Croat shelling reduced much of the Eastern side Mostar to rubble. A monumental project to rebuild the Old Bridge by using as much of the original material as possible started in 1999 and an opening was held on 23 July 2004, under heavy security. Over $ 15 million has been spent on post-war restoration in Mostar, but it remains a divided city. From "Allahs Söhne am Balkan" Erich Macho , Austrian TV ORF / RIAS Berlin, 1991 *** Praljak charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) include: • nine counts of grave breaches of the Geneva conventions (wilful killing; inhuman treatment (sexual assault); unlawful deportation of a civilian; unlawful transfer of a civilian; unlawful confinement of a civilian; inhuman treatment (conditions of confinement); inhuman treatment; extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly; appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly). • nine counts of violations of the laws or customs of war (cruel treatment (conditions of confinement); cruel treatment; unlawful labour; wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or destruction not justified by military necessity; destruction or wilful damage done to institutions dedicated to religion or education; plunder of public or private property; unlawful attack on civilians; unlawful infliction of terror on civilians; cruel treatment), and • eight counts of crimes against humanity (persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds; murder; rape; deportation; inhumane acts (forcible transfer); imprisonment; inhumane acts (conditions of confinement); inhumane acts).