Roma and Sinti Genocide Remembrance Day Commemorated in Croatia

On 2 August 2012 the Jasenovac Memorial Site and the Ministry of Culture hosted a commemoration ceremony at the Roma and Sinti cemetery in the village of Ustica.

Ustica contains 21 mass graves of Roma and Sinti victims from Jasenovac and is one of the locations where they were kept within the camp.  Commemoration of the Roma and Sinti Genocide Remembrance Day coincided with 70th anniversary of the period in 1942 when a large number of Roma and Sinti victims were killed at Jasenovac.

In addition to representatives of Roma organizations, the commemoration event was also attended by Croatian officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the local and religious communities and ethnic groups, and members of NGOs.

Speakers at the commemoration event included Veljko Kajtazi, a parliamentary representative of the Roma and president of the Commemoration's organization committee, Aleksandar Tolnauer, president of the Parliamentary Counsel for National Minorities, Branko Lustig, survivor of Auschwitz, Zoran Vasić, representing the Croatian Parliament, and Berislav Sipus as a representative of the Minister of Culture.  A letter with a message from Deputy Prime Minister Neven Mimica was read to the guests at the event.  Leaders of religious communities held a prayer and wreaths were laid on the graves.

Image gallery: Roma and Sinti Genocide Remembrance Day Commemorated in Croatia

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