Žarko Puhovski criticizes one-sided commemoration of totalitarian victims in Croatia

Political philosopher Žarko Puhovski has criticized the one-sided manner in which the European Day of Remembrance for victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes is observed in Croatia.

Puhovski noted that commemorations primarily focus on victims of communist and Italian-fascist regimes, while the victims of the Ustaše regime are often omitted. He described the European Parliament's decision to establish this day as significant, though he argued the underlying reasoning regarding the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact was based on geostrategy rather than ideology.

He further observed that Croatian society is shaped by conflicting nostalgias for the NDH, Yugoslavia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Puhovski also pointed out that the first authoritarian regime in the region, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is rarely mentioned in recent decades despite its historical impact.