Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged the Croatian authorities to ban works which deny crimes committed by the Ustasha regime of the Independent State of Croatia during World War II.
In a statement issued here today by its chief Nazi-hunter and Director of Eastern European Affairs Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center called attention to an event scheduled for January 16 in a Zagreb church to promote The Jasenovac Lie Revealed which denies that mass murders of Serbs, Jews, Roma and Croatian anti-fascists were carried out frequently in the notorious Jasenovac concentration camp.
According to Zuroff:
“The Society for Research of the Threefold Jasenovac Camp which is sponsoring this event was created to hide the horrendous crimes committed by the Ustasha, which were unparalleled in the Balkans. These crimes are corroborated by historical documents, testimonies of survivors and the scholarly research of numerous reputable historians. Works like The Jasenovac Lie Revealed would immediately be banned in Germany and Austria and rightfully so.”
Mark Weitzman, Director of Government Affairs for the Wiesenthal Center and past Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial (IHRA) said, “As a member of IHRA, Croatia should take all possible steps to prevent Holocaust denial and distortion. The continued positive attention given to efforts to rewrite and distort history in Croatia directly contradicts the international commitment made by Croatia in joining IHRA.”
For additional information please contact the Israel Office of the Wiesenthal Center:
Tel: +972-2-563-1274 or Tel: +972-50-721-4156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com
Follow us on Twitter: @EZuroff