The Balić brothers

Mirza and Mustafa Balić, the two older brothers of Emir Balić, legendary diver from the Old Bridge in Mostar, were killed in Jasenovac during World War II. All other family members were active participants in the National Liberation Movement (NOP). The third brother, Husnija Balić, born in Mostar in 1925, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and taken to the lead mine in Trepča, from where he escaped and joined the Albanian partisans. He returned to Mostar in 1946 with an officer’s rank. Two older sisters of Emir, Mirzija Latifić (born Balić) and Silva Miletić (born Balić), were involved in the resistance movement in Mostar from 1941 to 1943. Their mother, Safija, also aided the illegal activities of the Mostar resistance movement throughout the war. The father, Hadži-Abdulah Balić, operated the main headquarters for the “partisan underground” in Mostar.

Source and literature: Halilbegović, Nihad (2006): Bošnjaci u jasenovačkom logoru, Sarajevo.