The organisation of the conference and meeting was done by the Slovakian Association of Antifascist Fighters under the leadership of Pavel Sečkar, Eng., and Juraj Drotár, PhD.

 

Branislav Ondruša, PhD, the secretary to the Slovakian Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, also actively participated at the meetings.

 

The following representatives of associations and organisations also participated: Pavel Sečkar, Eng., Juraj Drotár, PhD, Slovakia; Jiřy Prokop, Eng., and Emil Sneberg, the Czech Republic; Józef Sowa, Poland; Inna Pavlovna Harlamova and Oleg Harlamov, Russia; Markiian Demydov and Nadija Slesarewa, Ukraine; Milinko Čekić and Slavko Milanović, Serbia; Gregor Kaplan and Ivica – Ivanka Žnidaršič, Prof., Slovenia;

 

The Russian delegation had the authority to represent the views of Belarus and Estonia, while Slovenia had the authority from Jožef Partel from Austria and Vera Papež Adamič from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

With the inclusion of Belarus and Estonia in the International Committee, the number of members from all societies and organisations has increased to 850,000 victims of Fascism and Nazism in 2013.

At the meeting in Bratislava, a considerable number of decisions were adopted; below we have listed a few.

 

It is necessary to do everything possible to involve other organisations and societies that include victims of World War II in the international committee.

 

At the meeting in Bratislava, the contents of a public letter were agreed upon – the resolution for the president of the European parliament and presidents of European countries. All the delegations which were at the meeting signed this letter.

 

It was agreed that all the organisations would contribute photographs and publications for the European Museum of the Violence of Fascism and Nazism that is being constructed at the Rajhenburg castle in Slovenia.

 

The decision was adopted that all organisations and societies included in the International Committee will arrange a memorial and an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory against Fascism and Nazism and the 70th anniversary of the return from exile and deportation as a refugee.

At the meeting in Prague in 2015, the order of the International Committee meetings for the coming years will be determined.

 

As the mandate of International Committee members lasts four years, and those of the president and the vice-president two years, the election for the following four and two year mandates were also held in Bratislava.

The following people were elected as members of the International Committee of Deportees and Refugees Victims of Fascism and Nazism during 1920-1945:  

 

Pavel Sečkar, Eng., Slovakia,

Juraj Drotár, PhD, Slovakia,

Jiřy Prokop, Eng., the Czech Republic,

Emil Sneberg, deputy, the Czech Republic, 

Józef Sowa, Poland,

Leonid Sinegribov Kirillovich, Russia,

Inna Pavlovna Harlamova, deputy, Russia,

Markiian Demydov, the Ukraine,

Nadija Slesarewa, deputy, the Ukraine,

Milinko Čekić, Serbia,

Slavko Milanović, deputy, Serbia,

Gregor Kaplan, deputy, Slovenia,

Ivica – Ivanka Žnidaršič, Prof., Slovenia.

 

Ivica – Ivanka Žnidaršič, Prof., Slovenia, was elected as the president of the International Committee.

 

The following were elected as vice-presidents:

Jiří Prokop, Eng., first vice-president, the Czech Republic,

Józef Sowa, Poland,

Markiian Demidov, the Ukraine.

 

Gregor Kaplan, Slovenia, was elected as the secretary.

 

In this brochure we have published only a section of the material that we dealt with in Bratislava. Unfortunately we were unable to publish the wealth of discussions by the members at the meeting, nor a description of the cultural programme and the socialising at the concluding meeting at the museum.

 

What we are publishing is a letter sent to the European Union and presidents of European countries, to which we have so far received replies from: England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain and Slovakia. 

 

We also published a letter from the International Association for the Memory of the Holocaust, who sent this letter as a reply to our request to include genocidal policies towards Slavic nations during World War II to the concept of the holocaust, and the letter from Yorgos Mitralias from Greece, who drew up the European antifascist manifesto and announced the congress against Fascism and Nazism.

 

Ivica Žnidaršič, prof.

President

of the International Committee