Recognition of the Roma Genocide

Recognition, official texts

The Holocaust was recognised under the term “Holocaust”; on the contrary, the terms “Porrajmos” or “Samudaripen” are “not recognised and not acceptable”.

The first recognition of the Roma Genocide in Slovakia is connected to two public speeches:

1. In his official statement at the unveiling of the memorial at the Jewish cemetery in Zvolen (8 April 2006), Mr. Pál Csáky (Deputy Prime Minister for Minorities in Slovakia) formally recognised the historical atrocities committed against Roma, apologised for the injustices committed against minorities during the wartime period, and for the first time specifically referred to Roma in this context.

„Vyjadrujem hlbokú ľútosť nad represáliami v rokoch 1944 – 1945, ktoré páchala vláda vtedajšieho slovenského štátu voči židovskému národu a menovite voči príslušníkom rómskeho národa len preto, že boli iní. A hoci súčasná Slovenská republika nemá nijaké konexie na vojnový slovenský štát, chcem sa v mene vlády SR ospravedlniť za krivdy, ktoré sa páchali na menšinách počas druhej svetovej vojny a požiadať o odpustenie rodiny pozostalých.”

2. An official statement by Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2007 is also considered an important milestone in the public recognition of the Roma Genocide in Slovakia.

Slovak legislation criminalises the public denial, questioning, approval or justification of the Holocaust and crimes committed by fascist regimes under Section 422d of the Slovak Criminal Code (Act No. 300/2005 Coll., Trestný zákon). As the provision applies to crimes against humanity committed during the wartime period, this means that the denial or justification of the genocide of Roma and Sinti falls within the same legal framework as Holocaust denial more generally. In early 2005, the Justice Ministry briefly proposed dropping the provision on the grounds of protecting free speech, but Jewish organizations and human rights groups successfully protested. Parliament firmly voted to retain and strengthen the anti-denial law in the modern Criminal Code.

In terms of the law, it is a criminal offense to publicly deny, question, approve of, or attempt to justify the Holocaust, crimes of Nazi-allied fascist regimes, or postwar communist regimes. Individuals found guilty of violating this statute face a mandatory prison sentence of one to three years (and up to five years if connected to broader extremist groups or generating a broader public threat). Because the law covers all crimes against humanity committed by the wartime fascist regimes, Slovak courts and legal authorities treat the denial of the Roma and Sinti Genocide under the exact same legal standard as the denial of the Jewish Holocaust.

Data (camps locations, Remembrance places, measures etc.)

Forced Labor Crews and the Detention Camp in Dubnica nad Váhom

One of the principal instruments of anti-Roma persecution implemented by the wartime Slovak State was the establishment of a network of forced labour crews (pracovné útvary). Formally created for so-called “asocial persons”, these units in practice disproportionately targeted Roma, who constituted approximately half of their inmates. Young Romani men were subjected to compulsory labour under harsh conditions, performing physically demanding work such as the construction of dams, roads and railways while receiving only minimal wages. The segregated accommodation of Roma and the existence of separate registers for Roma and non-Roma inmates demonstrate the discriminatory nature of this system.

The first labour crews were established in 1941 in Očová, Most na Ostrove and Horáreň Trnava. Although these camps operated only briefly, they were followed by a broader network of forced labour units across Slovakia. Other important labour crews operated in eastern Slovakia, including Hanušovce nad Topľou, Bystré, Petič and Nižný Hrabovec, where Roma were employed in the construction of the railway line between Prešov and Strážske. Additional camps existed in Jarabá, where prisoners built the road from Čertovica to Mýto pod Ďumbierom, Ilava, where they completed works on the local dam, Revúca, where they constructed sections of the Revúca–Tisovec railway, and Ústie nad Oravou, where Roma labourers participated in building the Orava dam. One of the largest labour units functioned in Dubnica nad Váhom between 1942 and 1944. After its transformation into the Gypsy Detention Camp in 1944, it became one of the most significant sites of the persecution of Roma in wartime Slovakia. The dissolution of these labour crews did not mark the end of persecution. While non-Roma inmates were generally released, many Roma were transferred to detention facilities, demonstrating that the system had become an instrument of ethnic persecution rather than labour mobilisation.

Dubnica nad Váhom

The Dubnica nad Váhom camp, later known as the “Cigánsky zaisťovací tábor” (Gypsy Detention Camp), was initially established in 1942 as a labour unit where Roma prisoners worked on the construction of the dam on the River Váh. In 1944, the Ministry of National Defence transformed the camp into a detention facility to which Roma from across Slovakia were deported together with their entire families. In practice, it functioned as a de facto concentration camp.

By December 1944, the number of internees had exceeded 700, far surpassing the camp’s intended capacity. Living conditions were extremely harsh, characterised by overcrowding, poor hygiene, shortages of food and medicine and inadequate shelter. Children and elderly people were particularly vulnerable, with many dying from pneumonia and other preventable diseases. The situation deteriorated further after a typhus epidemic broke out in January 1945, prompting quarantine measures and widespread panic among the surrounding population.

On 23 February 1945, German forces used the epidemic as a pretext to eliminate part of the camp population. Under the guise of transporting sick prisoners to hospital, a group of Roma detainees was taken to a nearby weapons factory and murdered. Post-war exhumations uncovered a mass grave containing the remains of twenty-six victims, including nineteen men, a fifteen-year-old boy and six women, one of whom was seven months pregnant. Forensic evidence suggested that several victims had been buried alive.

As the front approached, guards abandoned the camp and many of the remaining prisoners escaped. After the war, the buildings were demolished and almost all physical traces of the camp disappeared. Today, Dubnica nad Váhom is recognised as one of the most important sites of Roma persecution in Slovakia during the Second World War. Its history is commemorated through memorials and educational initiatives, particularly those developed within the Ma bisteren! (“Do not forget”) project.

Nemecká Memorial

Nemecká, near Banská Bystrica, is one of the principal memorial sites associated with atrocities committed following the suppression of the Slovak National Uprising. Between January and February 1945, members of the Hlinka Guard and Einsatzgruppe H executed and burned hundreds of victims in local lime kilns, including Jews, Roma, resistance fighters and other civilians. Because many bodies were destroyed, the exact number of victims remains uncertain, but historians estimate that around 900 people were murdered. The memorial area, administered by the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising, includes monuments and a documentation centre dedicated to preserving the memory of these crimes.

Kremnička Memorial

Kremnička, today part of Banská Bystrica, was another major execution site during the suppression of the Slovak National Uprising. Between November 1944 and February 1945, members of the Hlinka Guard Emergency Divisions and German Einsatzkommando 14 carried out a series of mass executions in anti-tank trenches near the village. A total of 747 victims have been identified through exhumation, including Jews, Roma, resistance fighters and civilians, although the exact number of Roma victims remains unknown. The memorial at Kremnička commemorates all those murdered during these reprisals and has become one of the most important sites of Holocaust remembrance in Slovakia.

Roma Holocaust Memorial Sites

Since 2005, the civic association In Minorita has implemented the Ma bisteren! (“Do not forget”) project, which documents and marks places connected with the persecution and murder of Roma during the Second World War. Within this initiative, memorial plaques and monuments have been established in Banská Bystrica, Lutila, Nemecká, Hanušovce nad Topľou, Zvolen, Slatina and Dubnica nad Váhom, while additional memorials were unveiled in Čata and Dunajská Streda in 2006 at the initiative of local Roma communities. Together, these sites form an important network of local memory that complements national Holocaust commemorations and preserves the history of the persecution of Roma in the wartime Slovak State.

Specialised institution, commission, research centre etc., dealing with this issue

Slovakia does not have a specialised national institution dedicated exclusively to the documentation and research of the genocide of Roma and Sinti. However, several museums, academic institutions and civil society organisations play an important role in preserving the memory of the Roma Holocaust through research, documentation, education and public commemoration.

Holocaust Museum in Sereď (Múzeum holokaustu v Seredi)

The Holocaust Museum in Sereď, established as part of the Museum of Jewish Culture of the Slovak National Museum, is the principal institution dedicated to Holocaust remembrance in Slovakia. In addition to documenting the persecution of Jews, the museum addresses the genocide of Roma and Sinti through exhibitions, educational programmes and cooperation with national and international partners.

Institution: Slovak National Museum – Museum of Jewish Culture
Address: Kasárenská 1005/54, 926 01 Sereď, Slovakia
E-mail: [email protected]

Slovak National Museum – Museum of Jewish Culture (Slovenské národné múzeum – Múzeum židovskej kultúry)

The Museum of Jewish Culture coordinates research, exhibitions and educational activities related to the Holocaust in Slovakia and supervises the Holocaust Museum in Sereď. It contributes to preserving the memory of all victims of Nazi persecution, including Roma and Sinti.

Address: Židovská 17, 811 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
E-mail: [email protected]

Institute of Romani Studies, University of Prešov

Established in 2011, the Institute of Romani Studies conducts multidisciplinary research on Roma history, culture, language and social issues. Although not exclusively focused on the Roma Holocaust, it is one of the leading academic centres researching Roma history in Slovakia.

Institution: University of Prešov
Address: Ul. 17. novembra 15, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia

Documentation and Information Centre of Romani Culture (State Scientific Library in Prešov)

The Documentation and Information Centre collects, preserves and digitises materials relating to Roma culture and history and serves as an important resource for researchers and educators.

Institution: State Scientific Library in Prešov
Address: Hlavná 99, 081 89 Prešov, Slovakia

In Minorita Civic Association (Občianske združenie In Minorita)

In Minorita is one of the most important Slovak organisations promoting remembrance of the Roma Holocaust. Since 2005 it has coordinated the Ma bisteren! project, documenting places of persecution, creating memorials and organising educational and commemorative activities.

Project website: http://www.romaholocaust.sk/en/
E-mail: [email protected]

Nadácia Milana Šimečku (Milan Šimečka Foundation)

The Milan Šimečka Foundation has played a pioneering role in documenting the experiences of Roma during the Second World War through oral history projects, publications and educational initiatives, including the influential volume Rómovia a druhá svetová vojna.

Address: Panenská 4, 811 03 Bratislava, Slovakia
E-mail: [email protected]

Roma Advocacy and Research Center (Rómske advokačné a výskumné stredisko – RAVS)

Founded in 2014, RAVS is a Roma-led research and advocacy organisation working on Roma rights, anti-discrimination, public policy and antigypsyism. Although its primary focus is contemporary issues, it contributes to preserving historical memory through research and publications.

E-mail: [email protected]

Overall, while Slovakia does not have a single institution exclusively dedicated to the Roma Genocide, a network of museums, universities and civil society organisations has developed substantial expertise in documenting, researching and commemorating the persecution of Roma during the Second World War.

Official initiatives (campaigns, actions, projects, commemoration days, museums)