On May 13th, the European Parliament hosted a historic event titled ‘The End of World War II and the Crimes of Communism,’ a conference organized by Croatian MEP Stephen Nikola Bartulica, member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. The event served as a platform to denounce the atrocities committed by communist regimes after the end of WWII , with special attention to the crimes perpetrated in former Yugoslavia and, in particular, in Croatia. The event marked a milestone for the cause of the victims of communism and posed a moral challenge to European institutions: to confront the crimes of the 20th century without double standards, and in defense of memory, justice, and freedom.
Under the banner of memory and justice, the day brought together historians, victims, and relatives of those repressed by the Yugoslav communist regime. Topics addressed included the massacres of Bleiburg and the ‘Way of the Cross,’ religious persecution, and the case of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, as well as the repressive intelligence operations of the UDBA (Yugoslav secret police), including extraterritorial acts.
The conference also featured a photo exhibition titled ‘The Crimes of Communism in Croatia,’ opened at the European Parliament headquarters as a visual testimony of communist repression.
MEP Bartulica opened the day by reminding that, while the crimes of Nazism were tried at Nuremberg, “those of communism have remained unpunished and silenced.” He reminded that communist ideology is responsible for the deaths of more than 100 million people in the 20th century, and that Europe has a moral debt to all of them.
Personal testimonies: between pain and dignity
One of the most moving moments of the event was the testimony of Monika Štedul, daughter of Croatian dissident Nikola Štedul, who survived an assassination attempt in Scotland, orchestrated by the UDBA in 1988. In a deeply personal testimony, she recounted the impact that political persecution had on her family, especially her childhood and youth marked by fear, exile, and constant threat.
“My father was shot in our home. It was a miracle he survived. Despite the pain, he never wanted us to remain perpetual victims. He taught us to fight for truth,” Štedul declared, while calling for “concrete actions” by European institutions to address the traumas of the communist past.
During the first panel, ‘The Crimes of Communism: Historical Overview, speakers included scholars from the Croatian Institute of History, such as Martina Grahek-Ravančić and Mario Jareb, and Eric Patterson, president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Patterson emphasized that “communism not only committed crimes during the war but consolidated an apparatus of ideological repression over decades,” and recalled cases such as the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea. Regarding Croatia, he denounced that “historiography remains fragmented and many sources are destroyed or inaccessible.”
The second panel—‘The Victims of Communism: Where Is the Justice?’—tackled the challenges of transitional justice. Journalist Tihomir Dujmović and local councilor Renata Kelam highlighted the persistent impunity for communist crimes in former Yugoslavia. Specific cases, such as the assassination of dissident Bruno Bušić in Paris in 1978, were also presented, showing the international reach of the UDBA’s terror.
A key presentation was dedicated to religious persecution, highlighting the systematic repression of the Catholic clergy. It explained how the Yugoslav communist regime persecuted the Archbishop of Zagreb, Alojzije Stepinac, who was imprisoned after a show trial. Despite the pressure, Stepinac remained firm in his defense of religious freedom, becoming a symbol of spiritual resistance to atheist totalitarianism.
The presentation also noted the report Church and State in Liberated Croatia by British writer Evelyn Waugh, which documents the execution of over 45 priests in Dalmatia alone.
The event concluded with a call for Europe to confront its communist past with the same determination as it did with Nazism. “Reconciliation is only possible if there is truth. And truth begins with remembering what so many want to forget,” Bartulica concluded.
The exhibition will remain open at the European Parliament headquarters until May 16th, after which it is expected to travel to other European cities.
