Completed preparations for the ceremony of 60th anniversary of the break of Jasenovac inmate’s, holocaust and victory over fascism

Organizational Board for the ceremony of 60th anniversary of the break of Jasenovac camp inmate’s, holocaust and victory over fascism have concluded at today’s session in Banja Luka that preparations for the commemorative gathering in Donja Gradina, in Sunday of April 17th, have been completed.

Chairman of the Board Dragan Čavić said at the Press Conference held after the session that on Sunday would be the held the ceremony on the occasion of "six decades since the camp Jasenovac was closed, in April of 1945, and with its closing, for the long time the truth was closed as well, on what actually happened there".

“Disintegration of the former Yugoslavia led to disintegration of the commemorational center Jasenovac, which was situated at both sides of the river in today’s two different countries, Croatia and”, said Čavić and added that "disintegration of Yugoslavia also led to disintegration of conception and position towards the fascism and in relation to victims".

He said that in context of events in disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and the war crimes that were committed in this region between 1991. and 1995. “was created impression that in the context of the new tragedy have became pointless to speak about Jasenovac”.

"There is absolutely no comparison between these two, since these are the tragedies that happened is totally different historical context", stressed Čavić.

He emphasized that, according to the official data of the Serb Orthodox Church, over 700 thousand of Serbs, Jews, Roma’s and other antifascists have perished in Jasenovac.

"Data available to the Israeli Institute "Yad Vashem" are saying that around 600 thousand people have perished at that location, in the time of Jasenovac camps, and it was impossible to disclose the ultimate truth about it until today’s time", Čavić said.

In his words, the ceremony organized on the occasion of this important historical date for Serbs, aims to open in the Republic of Srpska the new process of positioning towards Donja Gradina, the major scaffold that is no longer a part of the Memorial Complex Jasenovac.

"We did everything we could to organize the commemorative gathering in Donja Gradina with the die dignity for victims, but also to make it pursuant to the significance of crime against humans in the general environment", said Čavić.

He stressed that the title of the memorial academy “I ask for amnesty” shows that it is not the gathering with any political aims, but with the aim to renew the memories of this tragedy, which was hidden under the carpet during the communist era in the former Yugoslavia.

Čavić said that he expect many guests, among which are the President of Serbia Boris Tadić and the Chairman of the Memorial Center “Yad Vashem” from Israel, Avner Shalev.

Invitations were also sent to representatives of the international organizations, to the High Representative and his deputies and to Ambassadors accredited in BiH.

"This is the opportunity for representatives of the international community to attend, or not to attend, the commemorative gathering, and show therefore is they have the equal position towards the crime as the acts of man against another man, and are they also infected by the virus of forgetting what happened several decades ago, and remembering only what happened in last ten years", said Čavić.