Wiesenthal Center Denounces Mass in Honor of Croatian Mass Murderer Ante Pavelic

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today strongly denounced a memorial mass held yesterday in the center of Zagreb to commemorate thedemise of Croatian mass murderer Ante Pavelić, who headed the Independent State of Croatia (NDH)during World War II. In a statement issued here today by its chief Nazi hunter, Holocaust historian Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center emphasized the central role played by Pavelić in launchinggenocidal programs against Serbs, Jews, and Roma in Croatia during World War II, as well as the systematic persecution and murder of Croatian anti-fascists.

According to Zuroff:

"It is hard to believe that in the center of the capital of a member of the European Union, very close to Zagreb's Jewish community,hundreds of people gathered yesterday to commemorate the memory of one of Europe's biggest mass murderers. Such a ceremony is an insult to the memory of Pavelić's hundreds of thousands ofinnocent victims. It is also a badge of shame for the Catholic Church, which allowed such a ceremony to take place in the Basilica of the Heart of Christ who, had he been alive during World WarII, would have been targeted for annihilation as well.

For more information: Dr. Efraim Zuroff 972.50.721.4156 Twitter: @EZuroff, jointhe Center on Facebook,www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, orfollow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400.000 members. It is an NGOat international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament.