Martin Previšić records 399 deaths while serving sentences across all camps for Cominformists between 1949 and 1956. Mortality was concentrated mostly in the early years of the system, especially 1950–1952, peaking in 1951.
Key figures
After 1953 mortality fell sharply, in the broader context of changes in international relations and the death of StalinJoseph Vissarionovich StalinSoviet communist leader and dictator who ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 (after Lenin’s death) until his own death in 1953. (5 March 1953).
Deaths by year (HDA)
| Year | Total | Civilians (DKR) | Court-sentenced prisoners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 17 | 17 | — |
| 1950 | 59 | 48 | 11 |
| 1951 | 260 | 189 | 71 |
| 1952 | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| 1953 | 17 | 9 | 8 |
| 1954 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| 1955 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1956 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Total | 399 | 287 | 112 |
What did people die of (1949–1956)?
The archival table does not give causes of death, but testimonies and research point to a combination of several factors:
- exhaustion and malnutrition combined with heavy labour (the Mermer quarry, building pavilions, harbours and roads, worksites)
- infectious and chronic diseases (respiratory and digestive), together with overcrowding, poor hygiene and scant medical care
- illnesses caused by climatic extremes (summer heat without shade or water; winter bora and rain)
- violence and the consequences of beatings, with deaths possibly recorded administratively as “illness”
- workplace accidents (quarries, work at unsecured heights), often recorded as an “accident at work”
- suicides and cases designated as an “attempted escape”; in practice families were often given a general cause (“illness”)
How were the bodies dealt with?
For the period 1949–1956, three patterns of practice can be distinguished.
Burials on the island. In the early phase some of the dead were buried in the camp cemetery on Goli otok. The graves were dug by prisoners under guard, and the markers were temporary or anonymous. According to testimonies, some burial plots were later levelled and covered over.
Transfers to mainland cemeteries. Most of the bodies were transferred to mainland cemeteries (Zagreb, Rijeka and other towns). In some cases, owing to administrative circumstances (e.g. non-payment of grave fees), the remains ended up in communal graves, with limited or inconsistent notification of families.
Unidentified burial sites. Because of secrecy, inconsistent records and later reorganisations, it is not possible to establish reliably where some of the dead were buried.
Glossary
- Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
- Soviet communist leader and dictator who ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 (after Lenin’s death) until his own death in 1953.