The unique organization of the fighters of the city of Mostar (JOB) and the Center for Peace and Multi-Ethnic Cooperation from Mostar announced that they have recently acquired authentic film material containing exclusive and never-before-seen footage of the shelling and demolition of the Old Bridge in Mostar, November 8th and 9th, 1993.
As the videos confirm, the shelling of the Old Bridge was filmed by the crew of the Croatian Army from the fortifications on the towers of the Hum hill above the city. Their camera continuously follows the paths of more than 50 missiles fired by the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) tank from the Stotina site, then located on the west side of the Boulevard above the Mostar settlement of Kolonija, according to the statement.
As they point out, the video material also shows the moments when members of the Croatian Army crew direct the tank crew by radio communication to carry out as precise shooting as possible of the arch and foundations of the Old Bridge, while they report to their curious command by phone “how it is going and at what stage of the demolition of the Old Bridge has been achieved…”
“The content of the recorded material, with brutal curses, comments and bursts of approval and celebration over every direct hit of a shell into the body of the Bridge, also undeniably testifies that the Old Bridge with its complete historical core was shelled and demolished out of pathological hatred for Islamic historical heritage, and not at all as a logical military target to be destroyed,” the statement said.
They believe that the newly discovered film material is certainly the most convincing and undeniable film testimony to date about who inspired, ordered, followed the course of the shelling and celebrated the demolition of the Old Bridge.
“Although the Hague Court in the final judgment of the six political and military officials of the parastate “Herceg Bosna” on November 29th, 2017 clearly defined that the Old Bridge was destroyed by shells from a tank from the HVO position, the film material we have puts a definitive seal and stamps the shameful role of the principals of this planetary cultural crime, from which the official Zagreb and the Croatian government structure in Mostar and Herzegovina have never distanced themselves,” concludes the reaction.
Director of the Center for Peace and former mayor of Mostar, Safet Orucevic, said that this film was discovered quite by accident and only confirms everything that the Hague Tribunal ruled in the part of the judgment on the six officials, which refers to the demolition of the Old Bridge.
“Today, I am proud of the fact that, from the first day of this terrible demolition, we never accused the Croatian people, but the monsters who ordered and executed this. I am proud that we decided to build the Old Bridge together with the World Bank and UNESCO back in 1997, and that in addition to the many countries that participated in the construction, the Croatian government led by Prime Minister Racan came to Mostar and supported this project, the Old Bridge – a monument of peace. Those who easily mention war and conflicts should watch these videos, let them be a reminder of what the citizens of our city and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have been through. And let them know, I said that on November 9th, 1993, there are no shells that could kill our common love for this city and everything that it has been through the ages,” Orucevic explained, Klix.ba reports.
