Program for the commemoration for the Bleiburg repatriations presented

The Bleiburg repatriations refers to a series of forced repatriations from Allied-occupied Austria of Croatian soldiers and civilians to Yugoslavia in May of 1945 at the end of World War II in Europe. Instead of taking them in when they reached the Austrian town of Bleiburg, British forces handed them over to the Yugoslav Army. They were then subjected to death marches back to Yugoslavia, where those who survived were either subject to summary execution or interned in labor camps, where many more died due to harsh conditions.

The program for marking the 81st anniversary of the Bleiburg repatriations and ensuing massacre of Croatian citizens at the end of and in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, was presented today. The central part of the commemoration will be held on May 16th at the Zagreb's Mirogoj Cemetery. Additionally, expert forums on the suffering of the Croatian people after 1945 will also be organized.

The deputy president of the Honorary Bleiburg Platoon, Milan Kovač, also announced additional action to invalidate the Austrian parliament's resolution that labeled the Bleiburg commemoration a quote 'neo-Nazi' gathering: “What awaits us now is the final effort to nullify the shameful resolution of the Austrian Parliament. We will present our motion to void that resolution before the Austrian Constitutional Court and ensure that the Austrian executive branch cannot ban the Bleiburg commemoration on the basis of that resolution. I am confident that the judiciary, regardless of the ideology of whoever holds political authority, will prove that Austria is a country that respects the rule of law, just as it did on the issue of the return of land. This means returning the commemoration to the Bleiburg field and the historic Croatian coat of arm with a white checker first.”

Kovač also made it clear that they will not be deterred in any way: “As we have announced, insomuch as we do not succeed here, we are prepared to go all the way to the United Nations. We cannot accept that a commemoration, which is held under the auspices of the Croatian parliament, is slandered as the biggest neo-Nazi gathering in Europe.”

Source: HRT