It has been 20 years since the saddest day in the history of Tuzla. Thursday, the 25th of May 1995, remained registered and remembered as the day in which 71 young lives were taken away in a single moment.
A shell fired from the positions of the Army of the Republic of Srpska on Mount Ozren killed 71 people and seriously or lightly injured more than a hundred people in the heart of Tuzla. The youngest victim was Sandro Kalesić, who was to celebrate his third birthday on December 26th. He died on the anniversary of his parents Irena and Dino.
They were seen off to their final resting place at 4 am, as Tuzla was intensively shelled from the VRS positions on Ozren on those days.
“Today in Tuzla a tear becomes a word, because only a tear may express the pain for the violent seizure of young lives of our loved ones, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. Only the sincere tears can today speak about death in our hearts, the difficult realization that tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and every following day we will wake up and be lonely, impoverished for a piece of soul, part of the heart, one youth and a more beautiful tomorrow. We give life to our children, hours, days, months and years of parental care and love. We watch over them, guard them as the apple of the eye, as the light without which life has no meaning at all… Can someone really appear and, with the permission of the so-called mankind, destroy the light of a young life? Is anyone allowed, can anyone be courageous enough and able to take away someone’s right to live?”, said Sead Avdić, war-time Deputy Mayor of Tuzla, at the final goodbye to the Tuzla youth.
After heavy rains in May, Thursday, the 25th of May 1995, dawned bathed in sunshine. Girls and boys were preparing for an evening out, defying the enemy’s artillery staggered at the elevations of Majevica and Ozren. The same day, the finish of the Handball Championship of B&H begun in Tuzla, and eight teams competed for the title of the champion in two halls of Mejdan…
Girls and boys, sisters and brothers, colleagues from school passed down the heart of Tuzla. At 20:55, blood was spilt at Kapija, screams rumbled throughout the air…
Killed at Kapija on Thursday, May 25th 1995, were:
Suzan Abulismail (15), Edina Ahmetašević (20), Elvis Alagić Enko (17) Admir Alispahić (24), Lejla Atiković (14), Asmir Bakalović (19), Adnan Beganović (16), Damir Bojkić (27), Indira Borić (36), Ilvana Bošnjaković (17), Elma Brguljak (20), Lejla Bučuk (16), Sanja Čajić (17), Selma Čaušević (17), Amir Čekić (21), Samir Čirak (18), Almasa Ćerimović (19), Zada Dedić (20), Razija Djedović (19), Amir Đapo (20), Suzana Đušić (14), Amir Đuzel (26), Muris Fatušić (15), Ago Hadžić (20), Hamdija Hakić (48), Senad Hasanović (26), Šemsa Hasičić (20), Alem Hidanović (19), Nedim Hodžić (30), Hasan Hrustanović (25), Adnan Hujdurović Kindže (18), Elvira Hurić (16), Almir Jahić Bato (18), Azur Jogunčić (24), Sandro Kalesić (2), Franc Kantor (24), Damir Kurbašić (20), Vanja Kurbegović (17), Vesna Kurtalić Veca (15), Sulejman Mehanović (28), Pera Marinović (37), Nenad Marković Nešo (19), Amira Mehinović (21), Edin Mehmedović (19), Edisa Memić (19), Adrijana Milić (17), Nešet Mujanović (20), Edin Mujabašić Mony (21), Samir Mujić (28), Elvir Murselović (23), Šaban Mustačević (29), Dijana Ninić (20), Selma Nuhanović (17), Indira Okanović (16), Rusmir Ponjavić (20), Raif Rahmani (22), Fahrudin Ramić (34), Nedim Rekić (27), Jasminko Rosić (32), Nihad Šišić (19), Armin Šišić (19), Senahid Salamović (25), Edhem Sarajlić (20), Jasminka Sarajlić (23), Asim Slijepčević Asko (20), Savo Stjepanović (25), Jelena Jezidžić Stojičić (44), Ilinka Tadić (53), Azur Vantić (19), Mustafa Vuković (23) i Adnan Zaimović Garo (27).
(Source: klix.ba/ historija/ oslobodjenje)
