In memory of the tragic killing of almost three thousand Roma in the Auschwitz concentration camp in a single day, 2 August is observed as the International Day of Remembrance of the Roma Victims of Genocide during the Second World War – Samudaripen.

Historians estimate that between 220,000 and 500,000 Roma were killed during the Second World War, one of the most tragic periods in human history, marked by hatred and systematic persecution that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people.

Some of them were also killed under the Ustasha regime in the Independent State of Croatia, which adopted and enforced racial laws. During this period, Roma in Croatia were persecuted and deported to camps, most notably to Uštica, which formed part of the Jasenovac concentration camp complex.

Official data from the Jasenovac Memorial Site show that at least 16,173 Roma were killed there between 1941 and 1945, including a large number of women and children, while 21 mass graves have been recorded at Uštica.

The commemoration is traditionally held at the Roma cemetery in Uštica and organised by the Croatian Romani Union “Kali Sara” and the Office of Member of Parliament Veljko Kajtazi. On behalf of the Ombudswoman institution, Deputy Ombudsman Saša Rajić will lay a wreath in memory of all those who lost their lives.