Balada o Miri Barešiću
Balada o Miri BareÅ¡iÄu (lit. "Ballad to Miro BareÅ¡iÄ") is a song performed by Croatian singer DuÅ¡ko Lokin, released in 1992. The song is dedicated to the Croatian emigrant-turned-paramilitary fighter Miro BareÅ¡iÄ, who died in the early stages of the war on 31 July 1991,[1] only three weeks after his return to Croatia.
| "Balada o Miri BareÅ¡iÄu" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Duško Lokin | |
| from the album Zapivajmo Dalmaciji, nazdravimo Kroaciji | |
| English title | Ballad to Miro BareÅ¡iÄ |
| Released | 1992 |
| Genre | Pop, Ballad |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Label | Horvatek i Sin |
Music and lyrics
Miro BareÅ¡iÄ was born in Å ibenik on the 10th of September 1950. At 18 he was sentenced to six months in prison for refusing to join the Yugoslav army and was sent to Goli Otok. After serving his sentence, he fled to Sweden where he would link up with members of the Croatian National Resistance movement. The movement was an organization that consisted of Croatian nationalists.
In 1971 he would gain notoriety when he and AnÄelko BrajkoviÄ stormed the Yugoslav embassy in Sweden and took the Yugoslav ambassador Vladimir RoloviÄ hostage. RoloviÄ was the former head of UDBA (previously OZNA), and former commander of the Goli Otok prison and was to be exchanged for Miljenko HrkaÄ,[1] a member of the Croatian Liberation Movement who was sentenced to death two years prior due to alleged bomb planting.[2][3] There are some conflicting reports regarding the death of RoloviÄ, with some saying that BareÅ¡iÄ shot him while in the duo's custody[4][5] and other sources claiming that BareÅ¡iÄ shot him in an act of self defense since RoloviÄ reached for his gun.[6][7] They surrendered shortly after that. While they were being escorted, Miro kissed AnÄelko on the cheek and started chanting "Long live the Independent State of Croatia" and "Long live Ante PaveliÄ".[8][9] They would serve their sentence only until 1972, when a group of Croatian terrorists hijacked a Swedish domestic flight, demanding their release.
BareÅ¡iÄ was flown to Spain, stayed in custody for 19 months and then moved to Paraguay under the false name of Toni Å ariÄ. There he joined the armed forces, rising to the rank of captain. He was sent to the USA as a bodyguard for the Paraguayan ambassador. His identity was discovered and he was forced to flee back to Paraguay. However he would face trial in New York after an extortion ring that targeted Yugoslav immigrants to the United States was uncovered and, despite being acquitted, he was deported to Sweden where he was sentenced to life in prison, only serving 7 years between 1980 and 1987.
In April 1991 around the start of the war, he recorded video testimony in Paraguay where he hinted that he would come back to his homeland. He then obtained a Yugoslav passport under the pseudonym "Božidar SmotaliÄ" and returned in secret on the 12th of July.[10] Under the name "Marko MariÄ", he formed a unit subordinated to the Ministry of Defence in Zadar. On the 31st of July 1991, at his first action in the army, he was killed near Benkovac. The circumstances of BareÅ¡iÄ's death are controversial. It was the subject of a criminal inquest of 2002, launched after Nikola MajstoroviÄ, author of a film dealing BareÅ¡iÄ's death, filed a complaint with the Croatian State Attorney, and it concluded that BareÅ¡iÄ was killed in an ambush prepared by the SAO Krajina special police. Two private investigators, on the other hand, claimed BareÅ¡iÄ was killed by one of men in his own unit, allegedly to cover up the identities of former Yugoslav secret police agents who had returned to Croatia since 1990 under the guise of political dissidents before BareÅ¡iÄ identified them.
The lyrics were written by Ante MuÅ¡tra-Tulija, who worked with DuÅ¡ko on his 1991 album Toplo mi je oko duÅ¡e . The music was written by famous composer ÄorÄe NovkoviÄ. What is known is that
Lyrics
Lyrics:Dragoj tišina zvoni |
Lyrics (English):[TBA] |
References
- â 1.0 1.1 31. srpnja 1991. ubijen Miro BareÅ¡iÄ, hrvatski politiÄki emigrant, s nerazjaÅ¡njenim detaljima smrti. Narod.hr. 31 July 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- â "Bombu u Beogradu nije postavio Miljenko HrkaÄ". VeÄernji list. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "Pakao u bioskopu 20. oktobar". Novosti.rs. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "Likvidacija RoloviÄa je prvi atentat na najviÅ¡eg predstavnika SFRJ u svijetu. Ubili su ga radikalni hrvatski emigranti". Slobodna Dalmacija. 9 April 2023. Archived from the original on April 25 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "UBIJEN JE SRPSKI AMBASADOR VLADIMIR ROLOVIÄ: Njegov ubica dobio je spomenik usred Evropske unije". Espreso.rs. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "Život i smrt puni kontroverzi: Miro BareÅ¡iÄ je u grob odnio brojne tajne". Slobodna Dalmacija. 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "Miro BareÅ¡iÄ dobio svoj spomenik u Dragama". Jutarnji list. 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â Kapardramat pÃ¥ Bulltofta. Allt om Historia. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â När terrorismen kom till Sverige. Nerikes Allehanda. 4 January 2001. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- â "MIRO BAREÅ IÄ â život i pogibija nepokolebljivog hrvatskog revolucionara". Maxportal.hr. 30 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
