Testimonial of Jasenovac

These are true accounts from survivors of Jasenovac.

The crimes perpetrated against the people of Jasenovac were beyond cruel and unusual. Out of almost a million* people only 87 survived to tell their stories. We hope that by bringing these atrocities to light, it will sadden, appall, and convict you that these were real places, real people. First we will list testimonies from survivors and then people who ran or had a hand in the camp and then those who are experts and those living in Croatia at the time.

These are their stories.

Testimony

On November 15, 1942, after inspecting the Jasenovac death camp with the evidence still very fresh, and only 87 surviving victims available to provide eye witness testimony, a Croatian Commission concluded the following:

"The exact number of victims swallowed by the camp of Jasenovac will never be established, because of the stated reasons, but that on the basis of investigation led by the Commission, it can be concluded that the number around 500,000 to 600,000 confirms to reality."

"Crimes in the Jasenovac Camp"

The Croatian Commission

(Jasenovac Then and Now: A Conspiracy of Silence by William Dorich, Authors' notes Appendix C, P 35. Serbian Orthodox Dioceses of Western America,1991 )

Survivor's Testimonies

Testimony

"The Croats had built this crematorium by converting a brick factory. It had a deep pit at the bottom of which wood and coal was arranged in order to heat the pit to a very high temperature. This "stove" was enclosed and had a heavy steel door at the end of the tunnel that led to the burning area. The Croats created this crematorium to make it possible to destroy inmates as easily as possible and in large numbers. But when they brought in the first Jewish women and children to murder them in this crematorium they brought them through the tunnel first and after opening the door, they tried to push the victims into the human over. It didn't work the way they wanted it to, because the women fought desperately and the children screamed. After that, the Croats decided to use mallets and steel rods to hit each of the victims on the back of their heads, rendering them unconscious before shoving them into the fire. The Crematorium worked for several months, but was closed then, because the stench of the burned human flesh was carried miles and miles from the camp and the Croat civilians and Germans living in the area began complaining. From the area of Kozara in Northern Bosnia, the Croats took 23,858 Serbian boys and girls up to 14 years of age and sent them to the concentration camp at Jasenovac in the spring of 1942. Of these children the Croats executed 6,348 boys and 6,854 girls. Many were killed on the way to Jasenovac and left at the side of the road. The rest were sent to Zagreb for adoption by Croats families. Those who were not adopted were poisoned to death. ............Miaden Ivekovich, Former Jasenovac Inmate.

(Ibid, pg 35)

Testimony

"The Jasenovac camp was the lowest level to which mankind can fall....the most horrible place of torture in the history of man....hell on earth. It was the work of hatred, the work of evil, and the work of the devil himself."

Everything that one could write about the Jasenovac camp could only be a pale picture of Jasenovac and what it was. Because no one could ever overdo it when writing about Jasenovac and what happened there....Djordje Milisha, Jasenovac survivor, from his book "Jasenovac Hell".

(Ibid, pg 36)

Testimony

"When our column moved toward the tailor shop in camp Jasenovac coming toward us was a column of 500 to 700 women. When our columns were next to each other, both the columns stopped on somebody's orders. Silently, we just looked at each other. From the eyes of those young women tears were falling. We knew we were going to live just one more day and that they were going to their death now, today. From the attic of the tailor shop we saw them take the women across the river on rafts to Gradina, the place of execution." .....Chedomir Hubel, Jewish Inmate of Jasenovac.

(Ibid, pg 38)

Testimony

"They slaughtered people on both sides of the Sava River....When they were slaughtered on our side of the river we couldn't quiet ourselves down from the screams of the men and women we were hearing and from the shrieking of children. To some of the victims they cut open their throats and then cut open their stomachs before throwing them into the river. With others, they would just cut open their stomachs and push them into the Sava.".......Jovo Ilurich, Former Jasenovac Inmate.

(Ibid, pg 39)

Left: Ustasha murderer holding the severed head of his Serbian victim. Right top and bottom: FR. Miroslav Fiipovic-Majstorovic

*According to different sources there could have been anywhere from 500,000 to One million people at Jasenovac.

All testimonies and photos taken from Jasenovac: Then and now: A conspiracy of silence, by William Dorich, Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, 1991