Solemn Academy on the Anniversary of the Founding of HVO Sarajevo

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The Association of Resistance Organizers, Retired and Demobilized Defenders of HVO Sarajevo held a Solemn Academy last night on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the founding of HVO Sarajevo (May 29, 1992 – May 29, 2019) in the gallery of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Anthony in Bistrik, Sarajevo.

The attendees were addressed by the first wartime president of HVO Sarajevo, Professor Emeritus Marinko Pejić, and one of the initiators of the founding of HVO Sarajevo and assistant commander of the HVO Brigade "Kralj Tvrtko", Zvonimir Jan. The ceremony was also attended by the commander of HVO Sarajevo (Stup), Vinko Braco Martinović, and a member of HVO Sarajevo (Novi Grad), Darimir Ćurčić.

"The main characteristics of HVO Sarajevo were its multinational structure and the nurturing and preservation of mutual trust, cooperation, and solidarity among different peoples. For the freedom of Sarajevo, 109 fighters of HVO Sarajevo gave their lives, and more than 260 were wounded," said Professor Pejić.

"The role and significance of HVO Sarajevo are nevertheless not negligible. Therefore, in 2017, the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo awarded our Association of Resistance Organizers, Retired and Demobilized Defenders of HVO Sarajevo the status of a veteran association of special interest and social significance for the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo. In 2018, the Assembly of the Canton of Sarajevo awarded the first wartime president of HVO Sarajevo, Professor Pejić, the Plaque of the Canton of Sarajevo as public recognition for his exceptional contribution to the development of the Canton of Sarajevo in the fields of science, social activities, and art, and in 2019, the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo awarded him the Gratitude of the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo as public recognition for his exceptional contribution to the development of science and the social community," said Zvonimir Jan.

Numerous representatives of social and political life in Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the ceremony.

At the "Sveti Josip" Cemetery in Sarajevo, delegations laid wreaths and lit candles for all fallen, deceased, and missing defenders of HVO Sarajevo and the Croatian Brigade "Kralj Tvrtko", and a memorial mass was held at the Church of St. Anthony in Sarajevo.

The program was sponsored by the Ministry for Veterans' Affairs of the Canton of Sarajevo and the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo.