Bosnian, Croat media slams controversial Nobel Prize

BELGRADE, Serbia

An outpour of criticism was witnessed in local media of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia over this year's controversial Nobel Prize in literature.

Austrian author Peter Handke won the prize despite his denial of the Bosnian genocide claiming the Muslim Bosniaks in Sarajevo had killed themselves.

He also openly supported Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 at the international tribunal in The Hague on trial for war crimes and genocide.

Dnevni Avaz, the highest circulated newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina, carried a report titled Disgrace denouncing the prize.

The report also drew attention to the reactions of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, including comments by the Nobel Committee for supporting fascism.

Another daily Oslobodjenje headlined their story as Nobel to Genocide Denier.

The Serbian media covered the win sparingly.

Politika newspaper said the award ceremony in Stockholm was boycotted by several countries.

Jutarnji, one of the oldest newspapers in Croatia, described the event as an oxymoron.

Several countries including Turkey boycotted the award ceremony on Tuesday.

Turkish, Albanian, Kosovar and Croatian envoys to Sweden did not attend the ceremony.

Bosnian Croat President Zeljko Komsic said in a statement that Srebrenica genocide was awarded on the occasion.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Handke.