The 80th anniversary of the breakout of prisoners from the Ustasha concentration camp was marked on Tuesday in Jasenovac with a commemoration in the presence of state leaders, representatives of national minorities and anti-fascists, and surviving prisoners who paid tribute to the victims of the Ustasha regime.
Entitled "80 years, 80 destinies", the commemoration was held under the auspices of the Croatian Parliament, in the presence of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and the Speaker of the Parliament Gordan Jandroković.
Everyone who attended the commemoration commemorating the 80th anniversary of the breakout of the last prisoners from the Jasenovac concentration camp walked a path made up of wooden sleepers from the railway line on which the prisoners were transported to the camp.
After the guests gathered in front of the Memorial Museum building, the memorial column to the Flower monument was led by Prime Minister Plenković and President Milanović, followed by a commemorative program with the laying of flowers and lighting of candles.
The Government delegation also included Ministers Davor Božinović, Gordan Grlić Radman, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Damir Habijan, Marin Piletić, special advisors to the Prime Minister Sara Lustig, Mate Granić and academician Zvonko Kusić, and the President of the Council for National Minorities Tibor Varga.
The commemoration was attended by representatives of minorities who were victims of the Ustasha concentration camps - Boris Milošević on behalf of the Serbian National Council, Ognjen Kraus on behalf of the Jewish community, and Veljko Kajtazi on behalf of the Roma minority. Franjo Habulin represented the Alliance of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists. Other guests, diplomatic representatives, as well as representatives of political parties, institutions, associations and cities, were also present, and former President Stjepan Mesić also arrived.
As part of the commemoration, a special musical program was performed, excerpts from the testimonies of surviving prisoners were read, and prayers were led on behalf of Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic believers.
The commemoration program was led by students from the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts, who emphasized that a new chapter in commemorative practice based on education is being turned, noting the increase in the number of school groups from Croatia visiting the Jasenovac Memorial Site. By the end of August this year, students from 81 schools will have visited Jasenovac.
In the commemorative circle next to the Cvijet monument, through the story "80 years, 80 destinies", 80 candles were lit, marked with a short biography and a photo of each victim. Through these 80 destinies, an attempt was made to symbolically indicate the structure of the victims of the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška camps, and to achieve a civilizational level of culture of remembrance for the victims.
Parliament Speaker Jandroković and Prime Minister Plenković also laid wreaths in front of the Memorial Plaque at the Uštica Roma Cemetery.
Towards the end of World War II, on April 22, 1945, 600 Jasenovac camp inmates attempted a breakout, and just over 100 were freed. The remaining inmates, who due to weakness and illness did not participate in the breakout, were killed and burned along with the camp facilities.
In the 1337 days of the camp's existence, more than 83.000 people were killed, according to the data established so far. During its almost four years of existence, the Ustasha camp Jasenovac was a place of suffering, misery and pain for numerous prisoners, men, women and children, Serbs, Roma, Jews, but also political prisoners, Croats, Bosniaks, Slovenes and members of other nations.
Photo: HINA/Damir Senčar
