34 years ago, Sarajevo maternity hospital shelled, five babies killed

(Patria) - On this day in 1992, five babies died as a result of an attack on the maternity hospital "Dr. Zehra Muidović" in Sarajevo.

In lasting memory of the tragically lost innocent lives, the Association of Parents of Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo 1992-1995 organized a laying of flowers today at the site, next to the memorial plaque.

The president of the Association of Parents of Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo 1992–1995, Fikret Grabovica, emphasized the importance of nurturing a culture of remembrance and preserving the truth about the suffering of Sarajevo citizens during the siege.

"It is extremely important that we remember and preserve the truth from oblivion, that we pass it on to young future generations. Regardless of the fact that the aggression ended thirty years ago, a narrative is still being created that it was not aggression, that it was a civil war. There was a siege here for 1425 days, there was hell here, and we who lived in this city during that period know it best. An infantry attack was attempted on the maternity hospital, and when they failed, they shelled the maternity hospital, and unfortunately, five babies died due to a lack of electricity," Grabovica said.

The attack on the maternity hospital was one of the most horrific events in the first months of the military siege that would cut off the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the world for the next four years.

A fierce infantry attack on the maternity hospital began on the morning of May 26, 1992, followed by a terrible shelling in the afternoon. 

The City Maternity Hospital "Dr. Zehra Muidović" was built with funds from the self-contribution of Sarajevo citizens in 1977 and was destroyed between 1992 and 1995. It was renovated with funds from the Republic of Turkey, the Canton of Sarajevo, and the Health Insurance Fund of KS.