ABSTRACT
The suffering of Roma in World War II in the Independent State of Croatia is still insufficiently researched in Croatian historiography. Precisely because of this insufficiency is why it transcends in some individuals to the level of controversy. Those individuals tend to interpret selected parts of this topic tendentiously and with insufficient professionalism, on the basis of which they try to relativise Roma victims. Anti-Roma policy by the Ustašas authorities had its culmination during World War II. The first phase of the persecution of the Roma in NDH had consisted of the adoption of racial and other laws, which made Roma become “second-rate” citizens and this allows for further measures towards them. One of the measures was the idea of colonising all Roma in NDH in one place, partly implemented in the summer of 1941. This opened the way for the next phase, which took place in the late spring and summer of 1942, when it was decided to deport all Roma to the Jasenovac concentration camp. Most of these Roma were tortured and killed in the camp. Despite this policy, the Roma community in Croatia survived World War II.
