SAFEGUARDING MEMORY AND TRUTH FROM AGGRESSIVE REVISIONISM

DOBOJ, MAY 2 /SRNA/ - The de-blockade of Doboj on May 2, 1992, preserved the Serb ethnic population and created conditions for a breakthrough toward the Sava River and the defense of truth against attempts at aggressive revisionism aimed at turning the victim into the aggressor, it was stated at the commemoration of the Day of the Defenders of Doboj.

The city was blocked from the south at Makljenovac, Ularice, Alibegovci, Matuzići, Šije, and Ševarlije; from the eastern side at Klokotnica and Brijesnica; and through blockades in Grapska, by the HVO in Johovac, and parts of the Čaršija area in the city.

Responding to attempts at revisionism and what he described as malicious labeling of Serbs as aggressors, a member of the Association “Defenders of Doboj May 2, 1992,” Mirko Stojčinović, said that this narrative was refuted by the ruling of the Court of BiH, which recently, after a lengthy trial, acquitted the police and civilian leadership of Doboj of the charges.

“How can Serbs be aggressors!? How can Novak Popović from Ritešić be an aggressor, who was killed on May 6 at his doorstep by Croatian units of the Rijeka Brigade, in Ritešić, where his grandfather and great-grandfather were born?" asked Stojčinović.

He emphasized that, from today’s perspective, it is very evident that only Muslims and Croats were preparing for armed conflict, and that the defense of Doboj was the most humane operation after the Corridor of Life, given that there were no Muslim or Croat civilian casualties in it.

Referring to the circumstances in Doboj before May 2, 1992, Stojčinović stated that at that time Doboj was surrounded from all sides and that Serbs were confined to an enclave covering only 30% of the former municipal territory.

He said that the encirclement of the city involved far larger and better-equipped units of the Patriotic League and the Green Berets, as well as the Croatian Defense Council /HVO/ and the Croatian Defense Forces /HOS/.

Participants recalled that on this day in 1992, an organized defense of the city began from Lipac, and the objective of the Zenica and Tuzla corps of the so-called Army of BiH, acting together with Croatian regular and paramilitary forces, to capture Doboj on St. George’s Day /May 6/ and commit genocide against Serbs, was thwarted.

They intended to occupy Doboj after having previously done so in Bosanski Brod, Odžak, and Derventa, and to connect Tuzla with Zenica.

Former commander of the First Company of the Ozren Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, Radenko Nikolić, said that 34 years ago, thanks to a special military operation, the defenders prevented the suffering of Serbs in Doboj, as had previously happened to the Serb population in Liješće, Sijekovac, Bosanski Brod, Derventa, Rabić, Ritešić, and Johovac.

Nikolić stated that the truth about the events of that time cannot be changed by any revisionism, and as confirmation of this, he pointed to the presence in the area, even before May 2, 1992, of well-trained terrorist groups allegedly formed with support from Iran, which he said has been documented.

Former participant in the defense of Doboj, Čedo Segdar, emphasized the importance of defending the city, which from 1992 to 1995 served as a place of refuge for around 50,000 Serbs ethnically expelled from the areas of Zenica, Tuzla, Visoko, and other local communities, as well as from Croatia.

Retired colonel and commander of the Doboj Operational Group, Milivoje Simić, stated that the morale of the defenders was high and that they were honest and proud people, highly united and ethical, whose actions and legacy should be passed on to younger generations.

During the defense of the city of Doboj, only Žarko Mišić was killed. His daughter Aleksandra Mišić said she was only four and a half months old at the time of her father’s death and that she learned about his heroism from his fellow soldiers.

She said she is satisfied that even today, the memory of a major historical achievement is being preserved from oblivion.

The commemoration was attended by Member of the Republika Srpska National Assembly Danijel Jošić and Deputy Minister of Defense in the Council of Ministers Aleksandar Goganović.

The Doboj City Assembly adopted a decision declaring May 2 a date of importance for this local community.