Miro Barešić
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Miro Barešić (10 September 1950 – 31 July 1991) was a Yugoslav-
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
n émigré and neo-fascist paramilitary who in 1971 murdered a Yugoslav diplomat,
Vladimir Rolović Vladimir Rolović (21 May 1916 – 15 April 1971) was a Yugoslav politician, diplomat, and a former high officer of the State Security Administration (UDBA). Holder of the " Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941" and as a former commander ...
, in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. He later served as a soldier in
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
and in the
Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( hr, Zbor narodne garde or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interi ...
in 1991. In 1969, Barešić was sentenced to six months in prison in
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
for avoiding military service, after which he left the country and joined the
Croatian National Resistance The Croatian National Resistance ( hr, Hrvatski narodni otpor, HNO), also referred to as Otpor, was an Ustaša organization founded in 1955 in Spain. The HNO ran an armed organisation, Drina, which continued to be active well into the 1970s. The o ...
movement. In 1971, he was convicted of the murder of
Vladimir Rolović Vladimir Rolović (21 May 1916 – 15 April 1971) was a Yugoslav politician, diplomat, and a former high officer of the State Security Administration (UDBA). Holder of the " Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941" and as a former commander ...
, Yugoslav ambassador to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and former commander of the Goli Otok prison. He was released in 1972 as part of the conditions and demands by Croatian hijackers of a Swedish domestic flight. For several years, he lived in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and then
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
under a false identity. In 1980, he was extradited to Sweden and served the remaining seven years of his original sentence for the Rolović murder. He was released in 1987 and four years later, when the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
began, he joined the
Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( hr, Zbor narodne garde or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interi ...
. He was killed in action in July 1991.


Early life

Miro Barešić was born on 10 September 1950 in
Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
,
People's Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...
, part of
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...
. In 1968, as was required by any 18-year-old, Barešić was called to attend military service in the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
. He refused for political reasons to perform mandatory military service and was sentenced to six months in Goli Otok prison. In 1969, after the completion of his prison term, he left Yugoslavia for Italy where he was linked with members of the
Croatian National Resistance The Croatian National Resistance ( hr, Hrvatski narodni otpor, HNO), also referred to as Otpor, was an Ustaša organization founded in 1955 in Spain. The HNO ran an armed organisation, Drina, which continued to be active well into the 1970s. The o ...
movement, who assisted him. In Sweden, Barešić associated with people connected with the
Croatian National Resistance The Croatian National Resistance ( hr, Hrvatski narodni otpor, HNO), also referred to as Otpor, was an Ustaša organization founded in 1955 in Spain. The HNO ran an armed organisation, Drina, which continued to be active well into the 1970s. The o ...
and other Croatian extreme nationalists. He helped start a new organization, The Black Legion ( hr, Crna Legija) in Sweden, to serve as a base for actions against Yugoslavia.


Murder in the Yugoslav embassy

On 7 April 1971, Barešić and Anđelko Brajković drove in a rented car to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
with two other partners involved in plotting an attack on the Yugoslav embassy in Sweden. Their plan was to kidnap Yugoslav ambassador
Vladimir Rolović Vladimir Rolović (21 May 1916 – 15 April 1971) was a Yugoslav politician, diplomat, and a former high officer of the State Security Administration (UDBA). Holder of the " Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941" and as a former commander ...
, former head of the Yugoslav Secret Police (
UDBA The State Security Service ( hr, Služba državne sigurnosti, sr, Служба државне безбедности; mk, Служба за државна безбедност; sl, Služba državne varnosti), also known by its original name ...
) and former commander of Goli Otok prison, and exchange him for
Miljenko Hrkać Miljenko Hrkać (2 October 1947 – 11 January 1978) was a Croatian terrorist sentenced to death by a Yugoslav court which accused him of bombing the Belgrade cinema "20. oktobar" on 13 July 1968, which left one person dead and 89 others maimed or ...
, a member of the
Croatian Liberation Movement The Croatian Liberation Movement ( hr, Hrvatski oslobodilački pokret, HOP) is a minor far-right political party founded in 1956 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by Ante Pavelić, poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia and its ruling party Ustas ...
who had been sentenced to death in Yugoslavia for the 1968 bombing of a Belgrade cinema. The two men walked into the embassy at 9:45 a.m. and pretended to look at some visas in the reception. Once they saw Rolović near the reception they drew their guns. Rolović then drew his own pistol but was subdued and knocked unconscious by Barešić. As Brajković tied Rolović to a chair with a rope around his hands and feet, and a belt around his throat, Barešić guarded the door while outside the building a mass of people, the media, police and paramedics arrived on the scene.Zašto su i kako Barešić i Brajković 1971. ubili jugoslavenskog ambasadora Rolovića
Barešić saw the police approaching. The original plan to take the ambassador hostage was abandoned as they expected the police to storm the building. The two conspirators heard the police moving in on the building and Brajković took his gun, put it in Rolović's mouth, and pulled the trigger. Shortly after, at 10:35, the two men surrendered to police. When being taken out from the murder scene in handcuffs the news teams of several media stations were filming the whole incident as Barešić kissed Brajković on his cheek and then began to yell "long live the
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
" and "long live
Ante Pavelić Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
" on the way to the parked police cars. Rolović died from his injuries a few days later. In 1971, Barešić and Brajković were convicted of murder and began serving their sentences at a Swedish high security prison.


Release from prison to Spain

In 1972, Barešić and Brajković were released as part of a demand made by the hijackers of a domestic airline at Sweden's
Bulltofta airport Bulltofta is a neighbourhood of Malmö, Sweden. It contains the defunct Malmö Bulltofta Airport Malmö Bulltofta Airport ( sv, Malmö-Bulltofta flygplats; ) was the main airport for the city of Malmö, Scania, Sweden, from 1923 to 1972. Locat ...
. A group of Croatian terrorists, led by Stipe Mikulić, hijacked the aircraft, forced the Swedish authorities to refuel it, using the passengers as leverage, and flew to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. They surrendered themselves to the Spanish authorities once it was confirmed that Barešić was released from the Swedish prison and flown to Spain (then ruled by
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
). The hijackers received a 12-year prison sentence. Barešić was later acquitted of any involvement in the hijacking and released from Spanish custody after 19 months, during which time the Swedish authorities made no request to Spain for his extradition. In Madrid, the two men came in contact with the then-Ambassador of
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
to Spain, Rodney Elpidio Acevedo, and were given papers to move to
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
. After Barešić's release, the Spanish and Paraguayan governments, claiming Barešić's life was in danger by the
UDBA The State Security Service ( hr, Služba državne sigurnosti, sr, Служба државне безбедности; mk, Служба за државна безбедност; sl, Služba državne varnosti), also known by its original name ...
, arranged for him to fly to Paraguay.


Life in Paraguay and imprisonment in Sweden

Barešić obtained a Paraguayan passport under a false name, his new identity in Paraguay was "Toni Šarić". Under that name he joined the Paraguay armed forces and rose to the rank of captain. Barešić was a
close combat Close combat means a violent physical confrontation between two or more opponents at short range.''MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat'', Washington, D.C.: Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 12 February 1999Matthews, Phil, CQB ...
trainer and a professional
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
athlete. In 1977, Barešić was employed by the
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
an
foreign service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...
as the
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
for the Paraguayan ambassador to the US in Washington, D.C. The United States authorities discovered his real identity, which forced him to move back to Paraguay. After an extortion ring that targeted Yugoslav immigrants to the United States came under scrutiny by American prosecutors, charges were brought against Barešić and he was extradited to face trial in New York. The defendants were acquitted, but in May 1980 Barešić was deported to Sweden to serve the remainder of his life sentence there. Barešić's sentence was reduced from life to eighteen years in 1985. Barešić was released in December 1987, after serving seven and a half years, and flown to Paraguay, accompanied by his wife and two children. He settled in Paraguay, and opened a martial arts club and a car repair shop.


Return to Croatia and death

When the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
broke out in 1991, Barešić returned to Croatia and led a unit subordinated to the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
in
Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
against the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
(JNA) and the
SAO Krajina The Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Srpska autonomna oblast Krajina, Српска аутономна област Крајина) or SAO Krajina () was a self-proclaimed Serbian autonomous region (oblast) wit ...
. He was killed in area of the village of Miranje Donje near
Benkovac Benkovac () is a town in the interior of Zadar County, Croatia. Geography Benkovac is located where the plain of Ravni Kotari and the karstic plateau of Bukovica meet, 20 km from the town of Biograd na Moru and 30 km from Zadar. The ...
on 31 July 1991. His body was discovered by a civilian on 5 August and turned over to the Croatian police by the JNA two days later. Barešić was buried in Miroševac cemetery in Zagreb under a pseudonym, and then reburied with full state honors in Mirogoj cemetery under his real name, and posthumously promoted to the rank of major. The circumstances of Barešić's death are controversial. It was the subject of a criminal inquest of 2002, launched after Nikola Majstorović, author of a film dealing Barešić's death, filed a complaint with the Croatian State Attorney, and it concluded that Barešić was killed in an ambush prepared by the SAO Krajina special police. Two private investigators, on the other hand, claimed Barešić was killed by one of men in his own unit, allegedly to cover up the identities of former Yugoslav secret police agents who had returned to Croatia since 1990 under the guise of political dissidents before Barešić identified them. A new formal inquest of the matter was launched by the State Attorney's Office in 2012, but did not produce additional findings.


Legacy

On 31 July 2016, a statue of Barešić was erected in the village of Drage near
Pakoštane Pakoštane is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. It is a tourist town with many gravel beaches and pine woods. Geography According to the 2011 census, there are 4,123 inhabitants, in the following naselja, settlements: ...
. Government ministers
Zlatko Hasanbegović Zlatko Hasanbegović (; born 14 June 1973) is a Croatian politician and historian who has served as a member of the Croatian Parliament since 2016. He served as Ministry of Culture and Media (Croatia), Minister of Culture in the cabinet of Tihomi ...
and Tomo Medved, several members of the Parliament from
HDZ The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cro ...
, HSP AS and
MOST Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** A ...
, general
Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina (born 12 October 1955) is a Croatian retired lieutenant general and former French senior corporal who served in the Croatian War for Independence. He is noted for his primary role in the 1995 Operation Storm. In 2001, the Intern ...
, bishop Mile Bogović and many other political leaders were present at the unveiling of the monument. This event provoked a sharp reaction from the Governments of
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
and
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
. Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs said that the monument to Barešić "reminds of the rising of
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
and Ustašism in Croatia." Swedish press reacted strongly, with reporters, historians and witnesses to the 1971 murder, whom expressed surprise or shock on hearing about the statue. On 7 August 2016, the monument was vandalized with red paint. The perpetrator was not apprehended.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baresic, Miro 1950 births 1991 deaths Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croatian nationalists Nationalist assassins People from Šibenik Croatian expatriates in Paraguay Croatian expatriates in Spain Croatian expatriates in Sweden Croatian military personnel killed in action Croatian people convicted of murder Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Military personnel killed in the Croatian War of Independence Prisoners and detainees of Spain Prisoners and detainees of Yugoslavia Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Sweden People convicted of murder by Sweden People imprisoned on charges of terrorism Yugoslav people convicted of murder Yugoslav people imprisoned abroad Yugoslav prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment