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Zagreb - State leaders, representatives of ethnic minorities, antifascists, surviving inmate Nevenka Končar and victims' family members on Sunday honoured the victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp with a procession from the Memorial Museum to the Flower monument, where roses were laid.
In recent years, representatives of the Jewish minority commemorated the victims separately, President Zoran Milanović did the same last year, but this year the entire state leadership and representatives of all ethnic minorities and antifascists came together to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the breakout of the last inmates of the Ustasha-run concentration camp.
In the early morning of 22 April 1945, the remaining 600 inmates embarked on a breakout from the camp in which the Ustasha authorities imprisoned and killed people on religious, ethnic or ideological grounds. About 100 inmates survived the breakout.
The concentration camp existed for 1,337 days. The Jasenovac Memorial Site public institution has collected the names and data of 83,145 persons killed, including 47,627 Serbs, 16,173 Roma and 13,116 Jews. Among those killed were 39,570 men, 23,474 women and 20,101 children under 14.
President Zoran Milanović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković laid roses at the Flower memorial and paid their respects to the victims.
Respects were also paid by representatives of the victims' families, the Coordination Committee of Jewish Communities in Croatia, led by its president Ognjen Kraus, the SABA antifascist alliance, led by its president Franjo Habulin and former Croatian president Stjepan Mesić, the Serb National Council, led by its president Milorad Pupovac, and the Kali Sara Roma Federation, led by MP Veljko Kajtazi and Federation president Suzana Krčmar.
The commemoration was also attended by delegations of the embassies in Croatia, including Israel's, and representatives of political parties, institutions, associations and towns.
Testimonies of the surviving Jasenovac inmates were read out and prayers were said on behalf of Orthodox, Catholic and Islamic believers.
Jandroković: I hope this will be the model for commemorating Jasenovac victims
Speaking after the commemoration, Jandroković said it was important that this time everyone attended together. He hopes this will be the model for commemorating the Jasenovac victims every year.
"The commemoration is held under the auspices of the Croatian parliament. This year again we showed respect for the victims, we condemned the crime, we condemned the criminal regime which led to the killing of people because of their faith, ethnicity or political affiliation," the speaker said.
Being here means showing solidarity and respect for the victims, Jandroković said, adding that it is important that "this time we were all together, that everything went as it should."