This man died because he defended his Muslim friend: The whole Balcan cried because of this story

There was a thunder strike on today's date, like in a folk song, in the middle of winter when the time is not right, and the whole Balkans turned black - a young man died who just in one second and with one move became a role-model for Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, many of them mention his name even today!

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On this day 23 years ago, Srđan Aleksić left this planet and moved to a better world.

Aleksić has become a martyr even when looking by the regulation of the Church, and on January 21 he did something to, as the Bible says, earn his place at the gates of Heaven and he died six days later, on the big religious holiday, the day of Saint Sava.

According to the representatives of the Church, when somebody dies on a day like this, it proves that his soul was clean!

Foto: Wilipedia/Bobik

Srđan Aleksić, who was 27 years old at the time, on that day, January 21, 1993 in the city of  Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, saved his friend Alen Glavović, a Bosniak from Trebinje when he was savagely attacked by four soldiers of the Republic of Srpska army.

Instead of beating up Alen, the soldiers beat up Srđan who fell into a coma and died on January 27, 1993.

Srđan Aleksić was born in 1966. in the city of Trebinje.

His father Rade used to be a  basketball coach, his mother died when he was young, and his brother died in a crash while flying with a motor-kite near the city.

Srđan was a good swimmer and a big hope of the former Yugoslavia.

Apart from that he was an amateur actor, which brought him several acclaims.

He continued acting even during the war in a theater show called “Mid-war-night's dream”.

Foto: Tanjug/Tanja Valič, arhivska fotografija

His dream came true on that day, January 21, 1993, because he managed to save his friend from certain death, but that dream cost him his own life.

On that day, a group of reserve soldiers of the Repubic of Srpska army, where Srđan was also a member of, started harassing and beating Alen Glavović, a Bosniak from Trebinje.

Srđan jumped to help him, while several people just stood there, watching.

Instead of beating up Alen, the soldiers decided to beat the "traitor" Aleksić.

From the injuries sustained, he fell into a coma and died six days later, on January 27.

Foto: Wikipedia/File Upload Bot

"Srđan gave his life to save a friend, but he also set the foundation of a timeless act. He paid with his life the heroic act of defending a fellow citizen which is an example of human bravery" reports "Radio Sarajevo" agency.

His father wrote a sentence on his obituary which will stay remembered for eternity: "He died doing his humane duty".

Foto: Wikipedia

One of the four attackers died a couple of months later during the war, and the rest of them were sentenced to 26 months of jail time.

During the trial, Rade Aleksić had to put up with many humiliations which he will never forget.

Among those was a sentence from one of the lawyers who said: "That is what you get when you defend a Muslim".

Srđan's father still lives in Trebinje and he faces his son's murderers every day.

In one of the interviews for "Nezavisne novine" news agency, he said:

Foto: YouTube / RTS / Bosna Patriot-Tube

- Their intention was not to kill Srđan, but that happened. But the thing that should not have happened was that brutality, they should not have attacked innocent young people, not even that scared Bosniak, not even my son. It does not even matter who they are, it matters that they tried to attack the humane side of a man, they wished to crush with their boots everything that was noble and what was the most beautiful part of Trebinje. That is what hurts me the most.

- And my Aći, that is how we used to call Alen, now lives in Sweden, he is married, has two kids. Every summer he comes to see me when he comes to Trebinje. First he goes to Srđan's grave and brings a large flower wreath, and then he comes to me. I am so shaken right now that I cannot even remember his last name. To us, the people from the old times of Trebinje, last names did not matter. We used to use nicknames to call each other, we knew each other by good and that is the city I still believe in - said Rade Aleksić.

Probably the biggest war hero from the bloodbath at the beginning of the 1990s was posthumously given the award for human rights of the Helsinki committee in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The president of that committee, Srđan Dizdarević, explained this decision by saying: "With his act, Srđan showed that one can still be a man even when the times are difficult".

Several cities throughout the region paid their tribute to Srđan.

There is a public pass in the city of Novi Sad that bears his name.

In the center of the city of Pančevo there is also the pedestrian pass named after Srđan and a plate dedicated to this hero.

One street in the city of Tuzla and Sarajevo bear his name, even though this street is not in the city center.

Sport playground in the city of Trebinje were named after him.

To honor his memory, a special award was established for a journalist for professional report about marginalized and vulnerable groups.

(Telegraf.co.uk)