Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
16.12.2019.

Marking National Roma WWII Genocide Victims’ Remembrance Day




A delegation of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces has attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the mass grave of civilians killed in World War II at the ‘Stratište’ (execution site) Memorial Complex in Jabuka village near Pančevo, marking the International Roma WWII Genocide Victims Remembrance Day.
 
The ceremony was led by Nenad Nerić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, and the ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Roma national minority, the City of Pančevo, representatives of the diplomatic corps, associations and citizens.
 
The organiser of the ceremony is the Committee for cherishing the traditions of the Serbian liberation wars in cooperation with the City of Pančevo.
 
The reason for the commemorative gatherings is the memory of 16th December 1942, when Heinrich Himmler issued an order to systematically send Roma to concentration camps for their liquidation. The Roma Genocide or the Porajmos represents one of the most tragic events in World War II.