| Aleksandar "Aco" Apolonio | |
| Order: | 1st President of the Dubrovnik Republic |
| Term Start: | 15 October 1991 |
| Term End: | 4 May 1992 |
| Predecessor: | office created |
| Successor: | office abolished |
| Birth Date: | 11 November 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Herceg Novi, Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary (present-day Montenegro) |
| Death Date: | 2001 (age 84/85) |
| Death Place: | Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia |
Aleksandar "Aco" Apolonio (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Ацо Аполонио, sometimes written Apolonijo; 11 November 1916 – 2001) was a Serbian lawyer and politician who became the president of the self-proclaimed Dubrovnik Republic founded in October 1991.[1] Apolonio was a resident of Dubrovnik and had served as a public prosecutor there. He died in a refugee camp in Belgrade in 2001.[2]
Apolonio was born on 11 November 1916 in Kamenari, near Herceg Novi. In the 1950's, he was the public prosecutor in Dubrovnik.
Apolonio became the 1st president of the Dubrovnik Republic, a Serb proto-state during the Siege of Dubrovnik, and the first president of the Movement for the Republic of Dubrovnik. The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) withdrew from the area in May 1992, officially ending the republic. Civilians living in the area fled to Montenegro or Serbia because of fear from the Croatian Army.[3] [4] [5] Apolonio was also sentenced to 12 years in prison in Croatia.[6] [7]