Irfan Ljubijankić

Dr. Irfan Ljubijankić (1952 – May 28 1995) was a Bosnian facial surgeon, classical music composer, politician and diplomat.

Ljubijankić was born in Bihać, Bosnia, the town in which he lived for most of his life. He graduated from the University of Belgrade and became a medical doctor specializing in ear, nose and throat treatments. In 1990 as Bosnia was preparing to secede from Yugoslavia, he was elected to the Bosnian parliament and became a leading member of the Bosniak-dominated Party of Democratic Action. He temporarily left politics in 1992 after the beginning of the war between the Bosnian government and the Bosnian Serb rebels, in order to serve as a medical doctor in Bihać, where shelling by the Serbs caused many facial injuries among the populace.

Ljubijankić remained an active medical doctor until October 1993 when he became foreign minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He traveled widely to help gain international support for the country. Shortly before his death, he represented Bosnia-Herzegovina at the 50th anniversary celebration of the end of World War II in London on May 1, 1995. He was killed when his helicopter was shot down by a missile over Cetingrad, Croatia, a town near the Bosnian border which was being occupied by rebel Serbs at that time. He was flying from Bihać to Zagreb, Croatia's capital, on government business, and the 6 other people on the helicopter also died. Ljubijankić was married and had two children.