The Croatian Jewish community has condemned the organization of a funeral for a former concentration camp commander, saying it was turned into a celebration of his crimes. Dinko Sakic, a former commander of the Nazis' Jasenovac death camp who had died ten days ago, was cremated in the uniform of the pro-Nazi Ustasha movement that he reportedly wore as head of the camp. Some 70,000 victims, mostly Jews, Serbs and Roma, died in Jasenovac during World War II. Sakic died at the age of 86 while serving a 20-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity. After WWII, he had fled to Argentina but was extradited to Croatia in 1998 and convicted a year later.
Jasminka Domas, vice-president of the Croatian Jewish community, said: "The disgraceful events that occurred at the funeral of Dinko Sakic in Zagreb insult the memory of all the victims of the Ustasha regime, and besmirch the Republic of Croatia's good name." During the funeral, which was attended by some 300 people, a Catholic priest said that "any honest Croat should be proud of Sakic." Israel's ambassador to Croatia criticized the priest: "I strongly condemn the inadequate words of the priest who conducted the funeral, who pronounced Sakic a role model for Croats," Ambassador Shmuel Meirom said in statement.
Croatia's president Stipe Mesic has expressed concern that fascist symbolism at Sakic's funeral could hurt the aspiring European Union member's reputation.