Homeland War – Croatia, the War, and the Future

Dario Kordic
Photo: Hrvatska zvona facebook

The Croatian Bells (Hrvatska zvona) association was founded and registered in June 2017 in Siroki Brijeg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its main focus and principles are in the promotion of the Homeland War, the cultural and historical idetity of the Croatian people. It was founded with the mission of promoting the values of the Homeland War, the promotion of general well-being and the well-being of all human beings, the promotion and nurturing of Christian points of view, moral principles and democratic values, advocating for family and other social values, advocating for demographic renewal and the return of Croats from abroad, the promotion of peace and coexistence with other peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the world, connecting Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia in economic, cultural, scientific and every other sense, the retention and the nurturing of the Croatian cultural heritage (verbal and written), the nurturnig and preserving of native identity of the Croatian people, advocating for the rights of the Croatian veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, advocating for the rights of the families of those veterans who were killed, imprisoned or are missing.

On its Facebook page Hrvaska zvona association says about itself that “Croatian Bells is a peoples’, veterans’ and youth association that wishes to bring new people, new knowledge and new values into the society of Bosnia and Herzegovina”

An article published by Croatian Bells association 3^rd April 2018 was brought to my attention and given that it contains a Holy Easter message by Dario Kordic, former vice president and a member of the Presidency of the Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna, and later Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna (early 1990’s) I have translated the article into English for the benefit of the non-Croatian speaking world for whom the truth about the struggles and sufferings of the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990’s war and after – is of paramount and significant importance.

“And Dario Kordic is with the Croatian Bells!

Dario Kordic is already a symbol of the ups and downs of the Croatian people. At the beginning of the nineteen nineties he led the Croatian people of Central Bosnia into the dawn of freedom, and then into the defence for their survival in the onslaught of Serb, and then Muslim aggression. Instead of enjoying the fruits of freedom defended with blood, precisely because of the defense of the freedom of his people – martyrdom and a process of a guilty verdict followed precisely because he refused to be a slave. His life witnessed the downfall of international justice and fairness, the shakiness of Croatian statehood, and the martyrdom of contemporary Croats in the Hague Tribunal and the persistent persecution by certain elites in Croatia and so-called Croatian representatives in all public institutions, especially in the media. Coming out of incarceration (2014) he devoted his life to the reaffirmation and witnessing of the fundamental Croatian national pillar, Christian spirituality and virtuous identity and symbolism.

He is an ordinary Croatian man.

A husband and father who has been denied the right to witness the growing up of his children as has been denied to thousands of others, whom he calls upon today to follow the message of Risen Christ and not to abandon oneself to fear. For, Dario Kordic was never afraid of evil or knelt before fear.

Here is his message to the Croatian people:

‘In the blessed atmosphere of the Resurrection of the Lord, a group of warriors from Herceg-Bosna, feeling all the pains of tears, suffering and tests endured by the severely wounded Croatian national being in Bosnia and Herzegovina, firmly decided to engage in an unstoppable process of major changes at the dawn of coming elections of Croatian legitimate representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The honorable names of Zlatan Mijo Jelic, Zeljko Glasnovic, Marko Tokic, Marko Rados, Zdenko Juric Major, Ranko Rados, myself and many others will act like icebreakers that will clear the path for hundreds of young intellectuals, workers, students, children of the defenders of the HVO (Croatian Defence Council) to stop the Croatian people from being pushed into the abyss.

The most fatal of sins are corruption, nepotism and the employment of only the suitable in public companies with the Croatian Hercegbosnian sign. Sins are those who tremble to heaven. They are the most important reason for the exodus of thousands of Croatian young men and girls, as well as a multitude of Croatian families from the Herceg-Bosna soil. Such are also the grave failings of the promises for the betterment of the disgraceful status of the Croatian defenders and the invalids of the Homeland War disfigured by the massacre perpetrated by the previous authorities which were not of the people. Particularly painful are the decades long persecutions of Croatian war veterans accused of war crimes. They are literally being hunted like beasts. The use of double, i.e., harder criteria for the HVO members as opposed to criteria used for members of the BiH army, because the former are judged by the political qualifications of so-called ‘criminal enterprise and command responsibility’, is unacceptable.

We should rapturously pray to the Savior that the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina will build their future on the younger generation of Croatian politicians who will serve their people who have suffered and be guided by determination, honesty and knowledge. Hundreds of Croatian young women and young men gathered around the newly established ‘Croatian Bells’ association shall carry the new spark with pride and courage. We shall build together all the honourable Croatian patriotic forces of various party roles throughout Herceg Bosna. It will then be much easier to find a fair political solution for the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state of three constituent and sovereign peoples. For this – faith is necessary before anything else! FAITH! Along with it, the long suppressed and almost extinguished elation that adorned us in the nineties will also come.

Most of us Croatian warriors thought that we would never again be included in some new projects of Croatian strategic importance. But persistent calls and requests from numerous Croat youths from BiH and the diaspora have thrust us to the defence-from-lightning post so that fear would no longer live among Croats in BiH. And there is too much fear from the current Croatian leaders who give out crumbs from the table to the people, threatening to deny them even that if they don’t follow them faithfully. Oh my God, my beloved God, how the dignity of the Croatians in Herceg-Bosna has been trampled upon, battered, and humiliated. This Easter Hour announces that among the Croats in BiH evil will no longer be promoted as a value, as good. Truly, the time of grace is coming where love and hope will flow enormously like rivers flowing through the Croatian Herzegbosnian valleys.

When we are Christ’s we need to fear nothing. May our hearts burn with Christian patriotic zeal. It is precisely the youth that is the spark which will in a spiritual battle fire up Christ’s inextinguishable flame. What a tremendous help are the saints to us, the blessed and the servants of God from the Croatian people in BiH – Katarina Kosaca Kotromanic, Ivan Merz, Martyrs of Drina, Josip Stadler, Petar Barbaric and the Franciscan marys of Siroki Brijeg. Welcome you honourable, courageous and self-sacrificing young men and women who have Christ in your heart and the betterment of the beloved Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Let the Croatian Bells wake us all up. It is time! Let’s not be afraid! Only the truth will set us free!”

Croatian War Veterans: Conditions for prosecution of Communist Crimes exist

Association “Testament”

The Association “Testament” Zagreb (Association of Croatian war veterans from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Diaspora) has July 10 sent a letter to Croatia’s president Ivo Josipovic.

I consider the letter most revealing of the repugnance many feel in the political climate of Croatia where the leftist president and the government take every opportunity to justify communist crimes and equate WWII communist partisans with the defenders of 1990’s Homeland War, the most deserving people in the creation of independent Croatia.

The War Veterans association also believes that the conditions for the processing of communist crimes have been created in Croatia. I, for one, am so pleased to read that and trust significant progress will ensue.

Translation into English of the letter:

“In regard to your statement at the celebration of Antifascist battles and the formation of the First Partisan detachment, in Brezovica forest, 22^nd June 2012, in which you said that ‘Partisans from 1941 were the same as the Croatian defenders of 1991’, we feel the need to react and turn to you and to the whole of the Croatian public.

It’s true that 1941 Partisans rose against Fascism and Nazism, and we condemn those systems as well. But the Bolshevik Communists took advantage of the Partisan movement and, under the mask of antifascism and battle for Yugoslavia, created a new totalitarian system – criminal, undemocratic communist system, that lasted until the first democratic elections of 1990. We do not want to hear that the foundation for creating today’s state of Croatia was the ‘Partisan’ battle that created one undemocratic state of Yugoslavia. Croatian war veterans wish to promote the truth about the Homeland war and about the creation of Croatian state, and in this we do not consider as the truth those statements claiming that Croatia arose on foundations of Partisan battles and how there would be no Croatia if there were no Partisan movement.

The facts are that the Communists, through the Partisan movement, led by Marshall Josip Broz Tito – who has been counted among the 10 worst world criminals -purposefully committed enormous crimes against Croatian people. Those same Communists had between 1941 and 1990 murdered and persecuted Croatian children, women, sons, fathers and innocent priests like the Blessed Aloysius Stepinac. They persecuted and imprisoned patriots and all others who weren’t like-minded, and especially those who proudly nurtured a national identity and protected national interests, particularly those who aspired to creating a sovereign Croatian state.

Croatian defenders rose to defend their homeland against the aggressor who wore the red star on their cap, which you called ‘lovely’, the same as the Partisans wore in 1941. Those same aggressors devastated the hero city of Vukovar, Skabrnja, Dubrovnik and a large part of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian defenders fought against the red star, and you equate and identify us with them.

Mr President, do not also equate antifascist partisans (whose battles we respect) with the communist partisans because they fought for different goals and had different ideologies and visions for a future state.

Croatian war veterans created Croatia, courageously fighting with the Croatian coat of arms on their foreheads, under the Croatian flag, with rosary-beads around their necks, led by Dr. Franjo Tudjman who was a Partisan general and a true antifascist. When in the former state (Yugoslavia) he spoke about the idea and the aspiration of the people for independence, he was marginalised, persecuted and imprisoned by the system created by Tito’s communist. After the liberating Operation Storm and after other military actions the Croatian war veterans did not murder aggressor army captured soldiers, members of paramilitary formations or cevilians of Serbian nationality. On the contrary, the Serbian aggressors murdered and banished thousands of civilians and defenders, and took them to camps across Serbia. Tito’s partisans had along the Way of the Cross and Bleiburg murdered thousands of unarmed captured soldiers and civilians.

Mr President, do not continue in the tracks of the former president of the Republic of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic, who justifies the crimes against Croatian people at Bleiburg with the thesis that Ustashe also committed crimes and so there was a need to take revenge upon tens of thousands of innocent Croatian civilians.

We also consider as incorrect and unfounded the statements that Croatian army committed aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the contrary HV (Croatian Army) and HVO (Croatian Defence Council) had in 1995 liberated Bosnia and Herzegovina and brought peace to that area. Handing over the transcripts with “state secret” stamp on them to foreign intelligence services, the former president Mesic betrayed the whole of the Croatian nation and Croatian national interests. He spent a large part of his presidential mandate on muddying president dr. Franjo Tudjman and in underrating his contribution in the creation of the Republic of Croatia. Croatians have condemned that and today, Stjepan Mesic is on the social and political margins.

The Croatian war veterans (defenders) are deeply offended by your comparison with the Partisans. Today, Croatian defenders are not interested in the Ustadshe or the Partisans. We condemn crimes committed by any side. It’s a historical fact that on 27 July 1941, at Srb (where you yourself visited, laying wreaths and giving tribute to the antifascist uprising), the armed Chetnik formation of 1000 Chetniks, under Đujić’s leadership, joined by 60 Serbian communists, was founded. They committed enormous crimes when they murdered Croatian civilians. On 25^th July 1990 an assembly was held at which the ‘Declaration of the sovereignty and autonomy of the Serbian people’ was made. Those people had on 17^th August 1990 raised the ‘log’ revolution. (Blocking off Croatian Krajina as Serb territory within Croatia)

While on visit to Israel you vilified your own countrymen – to which you are the president – by stating that in Croatia an ‘Ustashe snake’ still exists, so that with your politics of flattery, like your predecessor Mesic, you could leave an impression of a just person. You, yourself, know that after the war (WWII) and during the creation of Yugoslavia revenge against Croatian families who were not on the side of the communists continued, and in the way where even their grandchildren were persecuted. So, where is that ‘Ustashe snake’ coming from? We hold that a communist-UDBA (UDBA = Yugoslav Secret Police) snake exists in Croatia which has committed many murders of Croatians in Croatia and across the world for which they have never been held accountable. Today, all conditions to begin these processes have been created regardless of how much the protectors of these criminals are trying to ensure that it doesn’t come to that.

Finally, we must say that we have no prejudices nor need to distort the facts or customisation of history because our Homeland War was defensive and liberating. If there were individual crimes from our side we condemn them and wish that those who committed them to answer for them, and not for the honourable and innocent commanders, such as Generals Gotovina and Markac, to be interned in the Hague prison.

Mr Josipovic, you need to invest more efforts and energy to help their defence, and the defence of other war veterans such as Veljko Maric who has been convicted in the country that was the aggressor against Croatia. We expect from the president of our country to advocate for the defence of national values and the values of the Homeland War, in which Croatians, Bosniacs, Serbs and members of other nationalities participated. With this we want for Croatia to be a democratic country, arising from togetherness and reconciliation, which would cooperate with all surrounding countries in the future, but upon healthy foundations, and not upon lies, falsehoods and skewing of historical facts.

With respect,

Association ‘Testament’ City of Zagreb and Zagreb County Branch

President, Josip Vidovic”