Bosnian lawmakers stayed away from parliament this time and took an early weekend after anti-government protesters, including mothers with baby carriages, kept them trapped inside during a 12-hour siege.
Hours after Bosnian police freed 1,500 legislators, civil servants and visitors early today, thousands of people surrounded the building for a third day. But this time it was empty.
The protest started Wednesday as a small request for a new law on national ID numbers, which citizens need to obtain passports and other documents. The old law lapsed in February, leaving all babies born in the country since then without personal documents.
Yesterday, thousands formed a human ring around parliament, forcing whoever was inside to stay put. But in the pre-dawn hours today, special forces formed their own human cordon, freeing those inside the building.
The discontent has grown into a broader anti-government protest and the crowds of mainly students gathered this evening chanted "We want changes." They demanded their politicians stop ethnic bickering and start working on improving the life of impoverished citizens in the country.
The unrest was sparked by media reports about a 3-month-old baby that needs life-saving medical treatment abroad but can't travel because the infant can't get a passport. The government started issuing temporary numbers until a new paw is passed but protesters demanded a final solution.
Encouraged by morning protests in other Bosnian cities, organised to support the one in Sarajevo, thousands gathered again to express their general dissatisfaction with their leaders.
"We just want to send a message to the politicians not to play with our future because their future is in our hands," one of the protesters in Sarajevo, 25-year-old Amar Nurkovic, said.
Post-war, ethnically-divided Bosnia is one of the world's most over-governed countries. It consists of two semi-autonomous mini-states, each with a president, government and parliament. Those are linked by a joint parliament, government and a three-member presidency.
