500 victims exhumed from graves in Slovenia are buried in Donji Maclj

In the village of Donje Macelje, Croatia, a solemn commemoration was held on Saturday as 500 victims of World War II were finally laid to rest after their remains were exhumed from mass graves in Slovenia. The ceremony took place near the Church of the Suffering Christ, just before the European Day of Commemoration for Victims of All Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes. Among those present was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Croatia, Tomo Medved, who emphasized the importance of returning the remains of Croatian citizens to their homeland. The remains were recovered from four mass grave sites in Slovenia, Trebče, where 10 individuals were found; Podstenice/Rugarski Klanci, with 22 victims; Košnica pri Celju, which yielded 307 bodies; and Cerklje ob Krki, where 161 remains were identified. Forensic analysis revealed signs of violent deaths, including multiple fractures, marks from blunt force trauma, gunshot wounds, and stab injuries. These individuals were young men, some of whom were minors. Following the Mass Sunday service, funeral rites were conducted with the blessing of the cross and prayers. Attendees placed wreaths and lit candles in memory of the deceased. Minister Medved recalled how the end of World War II did not bring peace for thousands of Croatian soldiers and civilians, but rather marked the beginning of a difficult journey. Many prisoners passed through Slovenia and Croatia, ending up in forests, mines, pits, and trenches. Families had been forced to remain silent for decades, yet the traces of these sufferings have once again emerged into the light, he noted. He stated that the right to a burial is a fundamental human right, and the duty of every organized state to inform families where their dead rest is a civilizational obligation. He highlighted that the Ministry of Defense has systematically pursued research and discovery of mass and individual graves over the past few years. Since 2016, more than 635 field surveys have been carried out, examining 96 locations and recovering the remains of at least 2,300 victims. Sites such as Jazovka, Gračani, Gospić, Brdovec, Tuškanac, Macelje, Senj, Garešnica, Sveti Nikola, Novi Marof, and others have been investigated. Medved emphasized that the search is not limited to national borders and expressed gratitude to the Republic of Slovenia for its cooperation, which enabled the return of 500 Croatian victims to their homeland. “The border separated them from death. Macelje reconnects them today. They were killed, and then they tried to erase all traces that they ever existed. Today we witness that they failed. We have found them and brought them back to Croatia,” he said. He also stressed the need to discuss crimes committed under totalitarian regimes based on facts, without fear or downplaying any crime. He specifically addressed wartime communist liquidations and the necessity of open discussion about them. “We do this not to reopen old divisions, but to close open wounds with truth,” he added. He reminded attendees that numerous mass grave sites still exist in both Croatia and Slovenia, and that further investigations will continue. He also pointed out that the search for 1,725 missing persons from the Homeland War remains a priority for the Ministry of Defense. The Holy Mass and final farewell were led by the military chaplain in the Republic of Croatia, Monsignor Jure Bogdan, who delivered a sermon describing how dry bones of our fellow countrymen and others slowly and inexorably “emerge from the underground, come into view, silently speak, pose questions, demand answers.” He expressed joy that these individuals finally have a resting place, a memorial prayer, and their human dignity restored. “Decades long, they had no tomb above which someone would stop, light a candle, say a prayer. Imprisoned, tortured, exhausted without trial simply because they thought and wanted differently, they were thrown into pits and ditches and hidden and buried like the most dangerous waste, about which no one should know anything,” he said. The only totalitarian system that seriously attempted this was...