The Bosniak, for whom Srdjan Aleksic gave his life, now has children and he is teaching them to be like this brave lad: The memory lives for 25 years (PHOTO) (VIDEO)

Srdjan Aleksic died 25 years ago, a Serb from Trebinje, who was defending a Muslim during the war, Alen Glavovic, and that cost him his life. Four members of the Republika Srpska Army started harassing Alen during legitimization. Srdjan rushed to his help, and due to the injuries he received, he fell into a coma. He died a few days later on January 27th, 1993.

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Alen Glavonic lives in Malmo, Sweeden, and he is working as a cleaner in a company. He has two children, a son and a daughter, who are already grown up.

In the interview for B92.net, he said that not a day goes by without him thinking about Srdjan. And as he said, it is a great wound that can't heal. Not even after 25 years. It has been a lot of time.

Foto: Wikipedia

- Yea, but in vain. That memory remains as long as you are alive. It remains in you and it can't be changed. As the years go by, it is harder and harder. It is harder as I am getting older, but a man has to fight as long as he lives - Glavovic said.

Alen said that Srdjan was a good man, always smiling, an athlete, an actor, and everybody loved him.

- And what more could I say... There were few who were as handsome as he was. And he had a soul, he had everything, but it turned out as it did. But he sure was handsome, one of the best. The black stud... What can I say... He was an athlete, the best in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The record holder in swimming and he was an actor - he said.

Foto: Privatna arhiva

Glavovic said that he is going with his family every summer to Trebinje to visit Srdjan's grave and his father. That is a tradition that will be continued even when he is gone: "My children will follow my way, that is normal. It's the way it's supposed to be, and what will happen in 20 years, no one knows. Right? Who knows what the day or the night will bring". 

Speaking about the past times, the time before the war, Glavovic said that last names meant nothing in Trebinje.

- We were real Trebinje folk... There are still Trebinje folks, real neighbors... People used to know each other by their goodness, and everybody knew everybody, it is a small city... Every year I go to Trebinje, and I have friends from Belgrade, Bjelovar, Podgorica, Novi Sad... We all go to Trebinje during the summer and we stay together... There is folk, which is normal, but not as before - Glavovic said.

However, the war came, and with it the January 21st, 1993.

- Watch now... We were all like one in Trebinje. There were never problems... And now, what the war created... That is what happened... And those who killed Srdjan, they were not from Trebinje. They took me to Prison... I was in a tavern, I was harassed by two men and they took me to prison because of my name. Then Srdjan came and stood up to them. He asks what's wrong. I am taking him, one of them said. They took me to the market where a police station was located. One of them threw me down, four of them jumped on me, and Srdjan rescued me. They beat him up in front of the police station, where that kiosk was, just like in the movie (Krugovi) - Glavovic remembers.

Foto: avaz.ba

Srdjan Aleksic stood up to them, and the rest stood and watched. They beat him up after, and the rest also stood and watched. After that, he fell into a coma and he died six days later, on January 27th. 

One of the soldiers who beat him has died during the war. They say that he regretted everything before he died. The others were sentenced up to 28 months in prison.

- Two and a half years... That's nothing. That was in the war, who knows if they served it at all. They were there at the trial, but I don't know if they went to prison. I went to Montenegro straight away, and then to Sweeden - Glavovic said.

Ten years after the death of Srdjan Aleksic, his father Rade built a fountain in Monastery Tvrdjos near Trebinje and two boys helped him - the suns of the dead soldiers who participated in the beating of his son. He knew who they were but he said nothing.

- Oh well, it wasn't the children's fault. You can't... It was the crazy time like that, they were drunk. Those who took me were both drunk. That was the military police. Srdjan stood up to them there. More of them came and then... - he said.

Rade Aleksic said that his son died performing his duty, but he also said that Srdjan was no hero, but an ordinary lad. As he said, he will remain as a notion of goodness.  

- You often say that Srdjo, don't because Srdjo was an ordinary guy. Srdjo left a nice mark in this city. A young man who is living now, Bohemian, who was favored in every company and that is what Srdjan left to Trebinje - his father said on one occasion.

He adds that he would like the most if "the conversations under the notion of Srdjan would have the topic of a man" when the RTS crew once asked him to make a documentary "Srdjo", he said, "it's ok, but present him as a human, which he was".

- Alen calls often. Alen is good, he is a good man and I am happy that he is married and that he has two nice children - Rade Aleksic said before.

However, certain people say that Srdjan was a war profiter and a smuggler and that he only "defended the jeans" which Glavovic, as they said, sold for him. 

Foto: avaz.ba

- I didn't sell anything at the time at the market. They took me to prison. That is a word among the people... How will he defend the jeans if they took me to prison? That wasn't on the market... Everybody has a right to talk whatever they want, but that is a shame... Sick people, envious, they have a problem. Srdjan got all recognition he was supposed to get. I cherish a memory of him and I will do so until the day I die. And now, if someone doesn't like it, I can't do anything about it - Glavovic said.

Glavovic said that he raises his children to be like Srdjan.

- Everything Srdjan did, they should do. They should be honest, good and hard working. They should protect themselves and others, they should defend everybody... If they listen, and they are really good so far, both of them are good - Glavovic said.

However, he said that he couldn't live in Trebinje.

- How will I live there if there is no work, no nothing? You have no job, and if you do have it, its 300 marks. How then? How could I live down there... if the pay is good, people would return. There is food and everything, but there is no life without money. Everybody ran away... There is no work - Glavovic notes.

As far as the region and tensions among Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks, Alen answers: "Do you know what are those tensions. Political. Only those who want the better chair and more money. Those are the tensions. Nothing more. And you have to live together. It's all politics - who will grab the seat. And I will keep talking, and you keep talking for this and that, and 20, 30 years like so. Then someone else will come, and it's all going around, the same story. How many years has it been since the war? What changed? Nothing. Only someone else who wants the seat".

(Telegraf.co.uk / b92.net)