Srđan Aleksić

Srđan Aleksić (; 9 May 1966 – 27 January 1993), nicknamed Srđo, was a Bosnian Serb amateur actor, prospective swimmer, and soldier in the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Bosnian War. He saw his neighbour, an ethnic Bosnian Muslim, being harassed by a group of VRS soldiers, whom he then tried to stop; the soldiers turned on Aleksić, beating him with their rifle butts until he fell into a coma. He died a week later at the hospital. He has received several posthumous awards for his act, viewed of as deeply heroic in a time of bloody war. A documentary about his life, Srđo, was made by RTS in 2007.

Early life Aleksić was born in the municipality of Trebinje, then part of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia. His father Rade was a basketball coach, and his mother Mira, from Prijedor, died at an early age. His brother died in a hang glider accident, above the Petrovo field, near Trebinje.

Aleksić received several awards as an amateur actor, and continued to act during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including in a play San ratne noći ("War night's dream"). He was also a prospective swimmer for Yugoslavia. During the Bosnian War, he was recruited into the Army of Republika Srpska.

Heroic act and death On 21 January 1993 a group of four uniformed VRS soldiers forced Alen Glavović, an ethnic Bosnian Muslim, out of a café by the Freedom Square across the street from the police station, and started harassing and beating him. Glavović was the neighbour of Aleksić; he intervened and went towards them and shouted for them to stop, ending the attack.

One of the attackers was killed during the war, whilst the other three were each sentenced to 28 months in prison. the latter being a derogatory term for Bosnian Muslims. Alen Glavović, the friend that Srđan saved, survived and fled the war and today lives in Sweden, married with two children. Every year he visits Srđan's grave and Srđan's father with his family. The Trebinje theatre Slovo, which Aleksić himself had been member of, performed a memorial play, Epilog, about his life. In 2011, filming began for the film Circles (Krugovi), which was inspired by the heroic act of Srđan Aleksić and directed by Srđan Golubović. The Republic of Serbia awarded him the Golden Medal of Miloš Obilić in 2012.

After his death, there has still not been any recognition of him in his home town. A pass is named after him in Zmaj-Jovo's street in Novi Sad, which includes a memorial plaque, and a pass also bears his name in Pančevo.

On July 11, 2013 the Srdjan Aleksic Boulevard was opened near Pobrežje Park in Podgorica, Montenegro, a park dedicated to the civilian casualties of the Yugoslav Wars. A street in New Belgrade, Serbia was named after Srđan Aleksić in early 2016.

In 2013, the Post-Conflict Research Center, a Sarajevo-based NGO, launched its own Srđan Aleksić Youth Competition. The contest, which is run in several cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aims to galvanize youths in the country, of all ethnic backgrounds, to share their own stories of inspiration and heroism. The goal is to keep the spirit of Srđan Aleksić alive in young Bosnians today.

Two movies have been produced on the life events of Srđan Aleksić: the 2012 documentary Srdjo, and the 2013 Serbian drama film Krugovi ("Circles"), which won several awards.