Simon Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Passage in Serbian Parliament of Bill to Establish Memorial Complex at Site of Sajmiste Death Camp

February 24, 2020

**PLEASE NOTE: Although the Sajmiste camp was on the territory of the Independent State of Croatia, there were no Ustasha guards there. **

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the passage in Belgrade by the Serbian Parliament of a bill to establish a memorial complex on the site of the notorious Sajmiste death camp, where more than twenty thousand prisoners – primarily Jews (in gas vans) and Serbs - were murdered by German Nazis and Croatian Ustasha.

In a statement issued here today by its Director for Eastern European Affairs, Holocaust historian Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who was previously chosen to head the International Advisory Committee of the project, the Center praised the decision and urged the Serbian authorities to expedite the project.

According to Zuroff:
"The passage of the bill marks the final stage of the preparations of many years to turn the site of Staro Sajmiste into a memorial center, which will finally properly honor the memory of the numerous victims of the camp. It will not only deal with commemoration, but also with education and hopefully play a major role in educating society about the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis and their Ustasha accomplices."

For additional information please contact the Israel Office of the Wiesenthal Center: 972-2-563-1274 or Tel: 972-50-721-4156, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal @EZuroff for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization numbering over 400.000 members. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).