Tomorrow marks 26 years since the death of the first baby in the Banjaluka hospital over a lack of oxygen, which could not have been delivered to this medical institution neither via land due to ongoing war nor via air due to the UN Security Council’s ban on flying over BiH.
The first baby died on May 22, 1992, followed by agony and the death of other babies. By June 19, 1992, 12 babies died in Banjaluka, who became a symbol of human rights violations and the inhumanity of the international community.
The agony was interrupted by the corridor breakthrough and merging Banjaluka region with other parts of Srpska and Serbia.
The thirteenth baby, Sladjana Kobas, lost her life at the age of 14, while the fourteenth baby, Marko Medakovic, is going to suffer from the consequences of a lack of oxygen for his entire life.
Secretary of the 12 Babies Association, Zeljka Tubic, told SRNA that the lives of 12 babies who died then due to the lack of oxygen in the Clinical Centre of Banjaluka are embedded in the foundations of Republika Srpska.
“It is known that the death of our children was, unfortunately, a trigger for the corridor breakthrough that is now called “the Corridor of Life.” The deaths of 12 babies gave the morale and strength to the Serb army to fight and break the corridor at the cost of living”, Tubic has stressed.
She has stated that with the help of the Republika Srpska institutions, the babies’ mothers managed to get out of anonymity as much as possible in order to make the public learn the truth about this tragic event.
Tubic has stressed that it is highly important the support given to this Association by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and Srpska Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic who, as she says, believe that the mothers of these little heroes deserve a different status, instead of the status of civilian victims of war.
“Our monthly allowance based on this status is BAM 87. The years go by and we are getting into situation that we need more and more support, both for medical treatments and everyday life; this allowance is the only income for some mothers,” Tubic has pointed out.
She has expressed expectations that this year the mothers will gain the status they deserve and which they have been waiting for such a long time.
Tubiceva has recalled that Zivka Knezevic, the youngest among the 12 babies’ mothers, died last year in March, and that the Association numbers seven of them now.
“I believe that Zivka Knezevic would have lived longer if she lived in better conditions, as she lived as a tenant in a rented apartment from the civilian war victim allowance,” said Tubic.
She has said that it is necessary to lead the entire society to learn and write about this heartbreaking event in the schools instead of remembering it once a year.
“We hope that the marking of this date will keep being a significant one, as noone should experience anything like this. The wars are everywhere, but we should not allow our children to be victims,” said Tubic.
The anniversary of the suffering of 12 Banjaluka babies will be marked tomorrow in Banjaluka.
On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of this grant tragedy for the Serb people, the Organisation of captured and killed soldiers and missing civilians in Banjaluka reconstructed the memorial “Life”, which was built in memory of the “12 little stars”.
Head of the Republika Srpska Organiszation of families of captured and killed soldiers and missing civilians, Nedeljko Mitrovic, is of the opinion that the UN Security Council should proclaim “the day of 12 Banjaluka babies”, in memory of 12 Banjaluka babies who died in 1992 due to lack of oxygen.
“The death of 12 Banjaluka babies is a terrible and deliberately organised crime that could have been avoided. This is a crime even more serious than sniper attack crime, because sniper can miss,” Mitrovic told SRNA on the occasion of marking 26 years since the death of the first baby in the Banjaluka hospital.
Mitrovic has reminded that the agony of newborn babies in the Banjaluka Clinical Centre began on May 22, 1992 because they were lacking oxygen due to the UN Security Council’s decision on no-fly zone, when the first of 12 newborn babies died.
“It was an introduction to the occupation of zone towards Serbia and Belgrade, therefore the oxygen crucial for the newborn babies could not be delivered to Banjaluka,” Mitrovic has said.
According to him, the first baby of Zivka Knezevic died on May 22, 1992, and the agony lasted until June 19, 1992, when 12 babies died; the thirteen baby, Sladjan Kobas, died in 2005, while the fourteenth baby, Marko Medakovic, is an invalid.
Mitrovic has reminded that the Republic Organisation of families of captured and killed soldiers and missing civilians built a memorial dedicated to 12 Banjaluka babies in 2009 with the help of the Banjaluka City Administration and installed it in the city centre.
He has said that documentary on this tragic event was also made, and the book will soon be promoted.
The anniversary of the suffering of 12 Banjaluka babies will be marked tomorrow in Banjaluka.
On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of this grand tragedy for the Serb people, the Organisation of captured and killed soldiers and missing civilians in Banjaluka reconstructed the memorial “Life”, which was built in memory of the “12 little stars”.
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Source: srna
