Vukovar marks anniversary of suffering, the day when Greater Serbian policy began its criminal campaigns

(Patria) - The central commemoration of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Vukovar in 1991 and the 32nd anniversary of Vukovar's suffering in the Homeland War began on Saturday with a commemorative gathering in the courtyard of the Vukovar National Memorial Hospital "Dr. Juraj Njavro".

The ceremonial program "Vukovar - my choice both in good and in evil", with the participation of the Klapa "Sveti Juraj" of the Croatian Navy, the Best Croatian Tambura players, and actor Darko Milas, was attended by a large number of patriots who arrived from all over Croatia and neighboring countries, as well as participants in the city's defense in 1991. The presidents of the state, the Croatian Parliament, and the Government, Zoran Milanović, Gordan Jandroković, and Andrej Plenković, are also present.

Also present are the last commander of the defense of Vukovar, Branko Borković, numerous government ministers, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, who will lead a holy mass at the Memorial Cemetery of Victims of the Homeland War, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Đakovo-Osijek, Đuro Hranić, Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava, prefects of Croatian counties led by Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Damir Dekanić, members of parliament and representatives of political parties, and other dignitaries from public and political life in Croatia.

After the ceremonial program in the hospital courtyard, participants of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Vukovar, led by Vukovar defenders and war victims, at the forefront of whom will be members of HOS who defended Vukovar in 1991, will proceed in a column of remembrance through the city streets to the Memorial Cemetery of Victims of the Homeland War, where state and other delegations will lay wreaths and light candles in memory of the fallen Croatian defenders and civilians in the aggression against Vukovar.

Along the city streets that participants will traverse in the Column of Remembrance from the hospital to the Memorial Cemetery, 5.5 kilometers away, elementary school students from Vukovar lit candles this morning.

At 5 PM, lit candles will be released down the Danube River for those killed and missing in the aggression against Vukovar as part of the project "River of Light of Remembrance".