Mostar Residents Mark Day of Liberation from Fascism

MOSTAR, (Patria) - The delegation of SDP BiH joined the commemoration of February 14th, the Day of Mostar's Liberation from Fascism. Flowers were laid for fallen soldiers at several locations in Mostar.

On this day in 1945, around noon, the first units of the 26th Dalmatian Division broke through into Mostar. Shortly thereafter, the 19th Dalmatian and 29th Herzegovinian Divisions also reached the city, and by around 7 PM, almost all German and Ustasha forces had fled Mostar.

Around 8 PM, Adolf Hitler, the supreme commander of German forces, who at that time had to personally approve every retreat, admitted defeat and issued an order for the withdrawal of the broken army. On February 14, 1945, at 8 PM, the city of Mostar was free.

Mostar paid a heavy price for its freedom in World War II. The city lost 750 fallen soldiers, 1,517 victims of fascist, Chetnik, and Ustasha terror, meaning every eighth resident of the city did not live to see freedom. The city had its own battalion, an illegal printing press, gave 14 national heroes, and seven hanged patriots.

SDP BiH Member of Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saša Magazinović, today submitted a Proposal for Amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, which specifically addresses and significantly tightens penalties for the destruction of national monuments, with prison sentences of up to five years.

"We will persevere in our fight to protect anti-fascist values and anti-fascist monuments, because it is evident that we have never had a greater need to stand in defense of the achievements of the National Liberation War and the partisans who invested their lives and youth for a better tomorrow for all of us," stated the Mostar SDP.

The commemoration of the Day of Mostar's Liberation from Fascism was organized by the Association of Anti-fascists and Veterans of the National Liberation War (UABNOR) Mostar, writes Patria.