Vukovar is Bleeding

Vukovar, 16 October 1991

Vukovar is bleeding — and Croatia is negotiating. However, all deadlines for switching sides are past. Croatia must go to war in Vukovar. Reporting on the bloodshed and destruction, on the illnesses and well-being of 35,000 people in this area whose lives are at stake are the editor-in-chief Josip Esterajher and the editor of Croatian Radio Vukovar, Siniša Glavašević.

For over two weeks now Vukovar and its 35,000 citizens have been waiting to receive mercy and forgiveness from Zagreb for something for which they are not to blame. No single city in Croatia has given more for Croatia’s independence, no single city has defended such a great piece of Croatian soil with so few soldiers, and still this does not seem to be enough. 

At this very moment over seventy tanks are rolling into Vukovar. And Vukovar is bleeding together with its heroism, with Blago Zadro, a man whom Mr Tudjman decorated personally.

All those whom the commander of the Croatian Armed Forces for Vukovar did not want to name, although Mr Tudjman stated he should, are also dying.

However, the list has thirty-five thousand names and surnames on it.

Vukovar shall not be another Dalj. Vukovar will not and cannot accept that it should be sacrificed, because it has been a free and royal city for two years longer than Zagreb. There are an additional forty-six severely injured, and the list of deceased is longer than it was before. All fronts are under siege.

And this is why Vukovar offers Croatia, Europe and the world the following — either the Croatian authorities need to do their utmost for a ceasefire to be instated, or they need to send the necessary efficacious military backup, or they need to evacuate all the civilian inhabitants from this region.

There is another possibility, and that is the complete and final destruction of the city and the massacre of its inhabitants, along with two hundred and fifty severely wounded.

However, no one here sees this as a possibility. The heroes of this city are still needed for a while yet, so that they may be witnesses of this war.

Thank you Zagreb!

Don’t edit this out…

Siniša Glavašević