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] When the police came, the two immediately surrender. While 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] BareÅ¡iÄ, BrajkoviÄ, and Ante Stojanov (Stojanov planned the kidnapping with BrajkoviÄ, but did not participate in it) were sentenced to life imprisonment and served their sentence until 1972, when a group of Croatian terrorists hijacked a Swedish domestic flight, demanding their release.[6]
BareÅ¡iÄ was flown to Spain where he as jailed for 18 months. After serving his sentence, he emigrated to Paraguay under pseudonym "Toni Å arac". After saving the life of a general's son, he joined the Paraguayan army and became a bodyguard for the Paraguayan ambassador of the USA. His identity was soon discovered and in 1980, was extradited to Sweden where he was to be extradited back to his home country Yugoslavia. Sweden would reverse their decision after BareÅ¡iÄ went on a fifty-day hunger strike and in 1987, he was expelled back to Paraguay.[1][6]
In April 1991 around the start of the war, he recorded video testimony 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. While in Croatia, he went under the name the alias "Marko MariÄ" (one source states that he also went under the alias "Ante Aras")[10] and met with other emigrants. He joined the Ministry of Defense in Zadar (ZNG) and commanded a special unit. On the 31st of July 1991, he was killed in action in Donje Marije near Benkovac in his first and only action.[1] The circumstances of BareÅ¡iÄ's death are unclear as no thorough investigation was conducted. The official version of events is that BareÅ¡iÄ had fallen to the SAO Krajina forces,[7][10] although in recent years it is suggested that members of KOS set him up because he knew too much.[1][6][10]
In 2016, a bronze statue of BareÅ¡iÄ was erected in his birthplace in Draga and was commissioned by his cousin, Ante BareÅ¡iÄ.[7]
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. The song is more of a memorial for BareÅ¡iÄ rather than divulging in the specifics of the tragedy.
Lyrics
Lyrics:Dragoj tišina zvoni |
Lyrics (English):[TBA] |
References
- â 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "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 7.0 7.1 7.2 "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 10.0 10.1 10.2 "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.
