Croatia Marks Samudaripen: 16,173 Roma Perished in Jasenovac, Including 5,608 Children
The central commemoration is held at the Roma memorial cemetery in Uštica, with Labor Minister Alen Ružić representing the Government.
The central commemoration is held at the Roma memorial cemetery in Uštica, with Labor Minister Alen Ružić representing the Government.
The International Day of Remembrance for the Roma Genocide Victims during World War II, known as Samudaripen, is being observed on Sunday, August 2, 2026, across Europe, including Croatia. The date was chosen to commemorate the night between August 2 and 3, 1944, when the Nazis liquidated several thousand Roma-men, women, and children-in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
According to data reported by Net.hr, 16,173 Roma have been documented as killed in the Jasenovac concentration camp, of whom 5,608 were children. Kurir.rs, on the other hand, cites historians' estimates that between 15,000 and 20,000 Roma lost their lives in the Jasenovac concentration camp system.
The central commemoration in Croatia is taking place at the Roma memorial cemetery in Uštica, in the immediate vicinity of the Jasenovac Memorial Site. The solemn ceremony is organized by the Alliance of Roma in the Republic of Croatia "Kali Sara" and the office of MP Veljko Kajtazi, in cooperation with councils and representatives of the Roma minority in Croatia.
At the solemn commemoration in Uštica, Labor Minister Alen Ružić is attending as the envoy of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. In addition to representatives of Roma from Croatia and neighboring countries, the event is attended by officials from the highest state bodies, diplomatic missions, religious communities, Roma associations, human rights organizations, anti-fascist associations, and local authorities.
During World War II, Roma were imprisoned and systematically killed in the camps of Nazi Germany and its allied countries. As reported by Kurir.rs, the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) nearly completely exterminated the Roma population in its territory. It is estimated that around 25,000 Roma perished in the NDH, and approximately 26,000 were deported.
Mass arrests and deportations of Roma to the Jasenovac concentration camp took place from May 20 to the end of July 1942. In June 1942, when the number of arriving Roma was particularly high, they were divided into two groups. Older men, women, and children were immediately sent to Donja Gradina for extermination, while younger men were placed in Camp III Ciglana Jasenovac. In the village of Uštica, a so-called "Gypsy camp" was established for Roma families for whom there was no room in Ciglana. At the Roma cemetery in Uštica, twenty-one mass graves bear witness to the suffering inflicted.
Historians estimate that between 220,000 and 500,000 Roma lost their lives during the entire war, although due to incomplete documentation, the exact number of victims has never been definitively established, according to Kurir.rs. The Council of Europe has also supported the observance of the International Day of Remembrance.
As part of the Samudaripen commemoration, a ceremonial concert by the European Orchestra for Peace, conducted by Santino Spinelli, will be held on Sunday evening at the Music Pavilion in Zrinjevac Park in Zagreb.
