Testimonies and experiences of Roma and Sinti genocide must be preserved as living memory fades, ODIHR says ahead of annual Remembrance Day

WARSAW, 31 July 2026 – As the living memory of the genocide of the Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust fades, we must redouble our efforts to preserve the testimonies of survivors and ensure their commemoration, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said ahead of Sunday’s Roma Genocide Remembrance Day.

“The voices of Holocaust survivors are a vital link between the past and the present. As those voices become fewer, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that their testimonies and experiences are preserved and shared with future generations,” said ODIHR Director Maria Telalian. “Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat prejudice, challenge denial, and ensure that the Roma and Sinti genocide committed by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II is fully recognized as part of Europe’s history.”

This year, Dumitru Miclescu, who had been a powerful voice for recognition and remembrance of the Roma genocide, passed away at the age of 92. In 2024, at an event at the UN Headquarters to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, Miclescu spoke of the link between remembrance and action.

“Recognition is the first step toward justice, and justice is the basis of healing,” Miclescu said. “This is not just a legacy of the past, but also the result of the silence that surrounds our suffering to this day.”

It is estimated that up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti lost their lives in Nazi-occupied Europe, including more than 4,000 on one day, 2 August 1944, as the Nazis began liquidating the camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. On Sunday, ODIHR will join representatives of international organizations, Roma and pro-Roma civil society, at the former concentration camp in Oświęcim, Poland, to honour their memory.

All OSCE participating States have pledged to promote remembrance and education about this atrocity. They have also recognized “the particular difficulties faced by Roma and Sinti” in the OSCE area and beyond.

ODIHR works with OSCE participating States to support efforts to commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide, strengthen Holocaust and human rights education, and promote awareness of Roma history in textbooks. Through expertise, guidance and technical assistance, ODIHR assists governments, educators and civil society organizations in developing inclusive approaches to remembrance and education.