Avdo Palic, colonel of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RBiH) and commander-in-chief of the defense of Zepa during the aggression was captured on yesterday’s day, July 27th, 1995, in the UNPROFOR camp at Boksanica near Zepa. Mehmed Hajric and Amir Imamovic, members of the wartime Presidency of Zepa, were captured with him.
On August 4th, Palic was taken to a secret military prison in Bijeljina, and on September 5th, by order of the Main Staff of the RS Army, Captain Dragomir Pecanac and VRS member Zeljko Mijatovic took him to a prisoner exchange. That date is considered the day of his death, most likely killed by a shot to the head from behind.
On this day in 1995, Palic started negotiations with war criminal Ratko Mladic in the UNPROFOR camp at Boksanica near Zepa. He was greeted by another war criminal, Zdravko Tolimir, and it was to him that Palic, defiantly and with a smile, extended his hand and uttered the sentence “I am that Avdo you are looking for”.
From the fall of Srebrenica on July 11th to July 27th, there were military and diplomatic battles for Zepa. Avdo Palic led all these battles and managed to arrange the evacuation of the inhabitants of Zepa with the war criminal Ratko Mladic. The evacuation ended on July 27th, and Palic, aware of the price he would pay, did not leave Zepa. He always put the safety of his fellow citizens before his own life, believing that he was obliged to give his life if it would save just one child’s life.
One of the last people to see Avdo Palic alive and free was Edward Joseph, a member of the peacekeeping mission in BiHduring the aggression. On one occasion, Joseph spoke about the chaotic situation in UNPROFOR at Dubrave Airport near Tuzla when the Bosniaks were expelled from Srebrenica.
He witnessed the arrival of thousands of traumatized women looking for their men, and there were no answers as to their whereabouts. According to him, many women were raped, and their fate remained unknown.
Joseph witnessed the evacuation of Zepa, where he was sent together with a colleague to coordinate the evacuation of civilians. Although the United Nations (UN) initially refused to send them because of “ethnic conflicts”, Joseph insisted because he believed they could prevent more rapes of women and other crimes.
Serbian forces continuously shelled Zepa and called for surrender over the loudspeaker. The negotiations were difficult and tense, and Joseph described Palic as an incredibly brave man who was left alone without soldiers by his side, sending them into the forest. The Serbian officers were nervous despite their superiority, and Palic, although alone, bravely negotiated the evacuation.
During the evacuation, UN soldiers, including a Ukrainian battalion, set up a system to register everyone who entered the buses, in order to prevent crimes. They asked everyone if they were leaving of their own free will, but they were aware that people were being forced to leave their homes.
Palic was there during the evacuation, taking care of everyone, especially the wounded who could not be evacuated. After the last bus left, armed men came to the UNPROFOR camp and looked for Palic. They took him away and tied him up, and Joseph immediately informed the UN headquarters and went after the vehicle in which they took Palic, but they failed to prevent his abduction.
When they reached Mladic, he gave a funny answer, claiming that Palic “ran away”, although it was clear to everyone that they had taken him. Palic‘s fate was then sealed, and his sacrifice remains a symbol of resistance and courage.
Palic‘s remains were exhumed from a mass grave in November 2001 in Vragolovi near Rogatica, together with the remains of eight other victims. After the first unsuccessful analysis, in August 2009 it was determined that the remains belonged to Avdo Palic. He was buried in the harem of the Ali Pasha mosque in Sarajevo.
On the anniversary of his capture, we remember Avdo Palic, a hero who gave his life for his people. His name will forever remain inscribed in the history of BiH as a symbol of resistance, courage and love for the homeland and its people, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
