President Milanović Pays Tribute to Jasenovac Concentration Camp Victims
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović participated today in Jasenovac in a commemoration entitled “80 Years, 80 Lives” on the occasion of Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Ustasha concentration camp Jasenovac and the 80th anniversary of the escape of the last remaining inmates from the camp. The commemoration was held under the auspices of the Croatian Parliament.
At the “Stone Flower” memorial at the site of the mass suffering, President Milanović laid flowers and lit a candle to pay tribute to the victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp – men, women and children, Serbs, Roma, Jews, Croats and members of other nations, killed due to their ethnic, religious or political affiliation.
The remembrance procession included, in addition to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković, as well as representatives of national minorities, anti-fascist associations, surviving prisoners and numerous citizens.
The commemorative programme featured musical performances, excerpts from testimonies of camp survivors, and prayers by representatives of the Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic religious communities. As part of the programme, 80 candles were lit with the names and short biographies of individual victims, symbolically representing the structure of those who perished in the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška camps.
This year’s commemoration stressed the importance of education and the culture of remembrance, and in particular, the growing number of school groups visiting the Jasenovac Memorial Site was highlighted. By the end of August, students from 81 schools from all over Croatia are expected to visit.
On this day, 22 April 1945, in a desperate attempt to flee the camp, more than 600 inmates led by Ante Bakotić attempted to break through – only 54 survived. This act symbolizes courage, resistance, and hope in human dignity even in the most difficult conditions.
Accompanying President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas