Blaž Kraljević

Infobox Military Person
name= Blaž Kraljević
lived= September 17, 1947 - death date and age|1992|08|09|1947|09|17
placeofbirth= Listica in the municipality of Ljubuški, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
placeofdeath= Kruševo, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina


caption=General of the HOS ("Hrvatske odbrane snage") or Croatian Defence Forces
nickname= Ero [

Blaž Kraljević "Ero"

]
allegiance=
serviceyears= 1991 - 1992
rank=
branch=
commands= - Croatian Defence Forces
unit=
battles=
awards=
relations=
laterwork=

Blaž Kraljević (September 17, 1947 - August 9, 1992) was a Bosnian Croat paramilitary leader during the first few months of the Bosnian War who commanded the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS) cite web |date= 1 Wednesday, 4 September 2002|url = http://www.un.org/icty/transe34/020904ED.htm|title = IT-98-34-T, the Prosecutor versus Mladen Naletilic and Vinko Martinovic|format = HTML |publisher = [http://www.un.org UN] | accessdate = 2007-09-24 | last= |quote=] . President Izetbegović appointed him to be a member of Bosnian Army's Headquarters, seven days before his assassination. [Vjesnik: Je li Tuta platio atentatorima po pet tisuća maraka [http://www.hsp1861.hr/vijesti4/030513zp.htm] ]

Background

Blaž Kraljević was one of eight children born to a Croat family in the village of Listica in the municipality of Ljubuški, Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the age of 19 Kraljević immigrated to Germany and shortly thereafter to Australia where he joined Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood, and organisation whose aim was to restore the Independent State of Croatia. Allegedly, he was supposed be the twentieth member of the Bugojno group, which went to Yugoslavia in 1972 in order to start an armed uprising, but he was allegedly prevented from leaving Australia by ASIO. Kraljevic remained in Australia until 1990. Upon his return to Herzegovina he became the leader of the Croatian Party of Rights and in December of 1991 he became the leader of the HOS.

War

When the war began Kraljevic began to position his group as the main Croat militia in Bosnia. Unlike the other Croat militia, the "Hrvatsko Vijeće Obrane-Croatian Defence Council" (HVO), he opposed the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the creation of an ethnically cleansed Greater Croatia, instead he wanted to federate Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatia. On May 9, 1992 he issued a proclamation to the Bosniak and Croat citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina which stated the following:

* We implore all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially Croats and Bosniaks not to take into account any statements or agreements between Mate Boban and Radovan Karadžić.
* Not one nor the other speak in the name of Croats and Bosniaks. They do not represent what the Croats and Bosniaks want.
* There will be no division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we can and we will preserve Bosnia and Herzegovina for all of us; we won't leave our people on the grinder. Either we will all die or we will all be free. We are not ready for treason. Radovan Karadzic is the murderer of Croat and Bosniak people's and Mate Boban cannot and doesn't have the right to lead the Croats and Bosniaks of BH into ruin.
*Bosnia and Herzegovina is defended and will be defended by the HOS and TO Bosnia and Herzegovina (Territorial Defence Forces of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Bosnia and Herzegovina is in ruins, the people are displaced but the victory is ours. We invite all HVO units to come under our command. Under the command of the HOS and with the cooperation of the TO Bosnia and Herzegovina we will free Bosnia and Herzegovina for the benefit of all people's. We will throw the people with the dark pasts and suspicious present out of the defensive units of BH. We will send them home, but keep an eye on them, we are talking about our destiny. We have a chance, but just one.

The proclamation is concluded by "BOG I HRVATI" (God and Croats), and "ZA DOM SPREMNI", an Ustasa salute.

After many early successes a large number of HVO soldiers defected and joined the HOSPg 85 - cite web |date=1998|url = http://www.queensu.ca/cir/files/Martello18.pdf|title = From Ottawa to Sarajevo: Canadian Peacekeepers in the Balkans|format = PDF|publisher = Centre for International Relations, Queen's University Kingston, Ontario Canada| accessdate = 2007-09-25 | last= |quote=ISBN 0889117888 ] . In the summer of 1992 his militia successfully defended Stolac, and launched an offensive into eastern Herzegovina which seized parts of the municipality of Trebinje. Much of the Serb population of Trebinje and Bileća had begun to pack up run. This went against the Graz agreement that Serbia and Croatia made regarding the division of the country.

Death

On August 9, 1992 after a meeting at Široki Brijeg he left on his way back to his home in Ljubuški. When the motorcade passed the village of Kruševo south of Mostar a group of as many as 20 gunmen opened fire on his motorcade. Kraljević was killed along with Gordan Čuljak, Šahdo Delić, Ivan Granić, Rasim Krasniqi, Osman Maksić, Mario Medić, Vinko Primorac and Marko Stjepanović. During "Naletilić-Martinović trial" before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Prosecutors implied that Kraljević was murdered by Mate Boban's HVO because HOS believed in a, "... multi-ethnic Bosnia of the Croats and Muslims working togethercite web |date=Wednesday, 17 July 2002|url = http://www.un.org/icty/transe34/020717ED.htm|title = IT-98-34-T, the Prosecutor versus Naletilic and Martinovic|format = HTML |publisher = ICTY| accessdate = 2007-09-25 | last= |quote=Q. Well, sir, during the time that you lived in Mostar, during these years, and in that region, did you ever -- did you understand that HOS was
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a unit that -- an organisation that believed more in a multi-ethnic Bosnia of the Croats and Muslims working together? ... wasn't it because of the HDZ's conflict with that philosophy, that Mr. Kraljevic was ultimately murdered?] ." Until that point the HOS was composed Croats and a large percentage of Bosniaks around Mostar. After Kraljević's assassination the HOS dissolved..

External links

* [http://www.hsp1861.hr/vijesti/201129erra.htm HSP 1861: Blaž Kraljević's role in Bosnian war] hr icon
* [http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2003/05/13/Clanak.asp?r=tem&c=2 Vjesnik: Murder of Blaž Kraljević] hr icon

References