Public Institution of the Jasenovac Memorial Area hereby expresses concern and condemns the statements and theses issued by Igor Vukić (guest), Marina Medved Pulić and Franjo Ridjan (show hosts) during the program ’Good Day, Croatia’ broadcast on 30 May 2018. Croatian Radio and Television provided Vukić with the platform to present his views in which he denied the crimes committed in the Ustaša concentration camp, Jasenovac.The viewers had the opportunity to hear Vukić theses about Jasenovac being ‘a labour camp, prison, the place where the active opponents of the state were detainedalong with the Jews who were exempt from transportation to Germany’. Vukić also said that the Ustaša leader Ante Pavelić was the most deserving person for the rescue of the said camp prisoners.
On the other hand, during Vukić’s 15-minute appearance, terms such as criminal, racial laws, holocaust, or forced labor were never uttered. The show hosts did not disown any of the views expressed by their guest, but did go as far as to say that it was a pleasure to listen to him because of how passionate he was about the subject, and also called upon the viewers to buyand read the book that Vukić promoted. This showed a severe lack of professionalism, compassion for the victims and a general lack of knowledge on the subject in question.
Once again, we would like to use this opportunity to remind that the concentration camp Jasenovac was the largest camp in the territory of the Independent State of Croatia and had several functions, such as the mass liquidation of Serbs, Roma and Jews as well as political opponents who disagreed with politics and racial ideology of the Ustaša movement.
Thankfully, there are efforts made by institutions and individuals in Croatia to educate young people on the subjects of Holocaust and crimes against humanity. However, the fact that the person who denies the crimes ever took place was provided the platform to express his views so freely in the television program, where he was presented as the authority on the topic of the concentration camp Jasenovac, is extremely troubling and problematic. The first step towards solving a problem is to admit that the problem exists.
Jasenovac, 1 June 2018
Public institution Memorial Area Jasenovac
