Rašića Gaj massacres

Rašića Gaj massacres
Location44°13′24″N 18°56′29″E / 44.2232°N 18.9413°E / 44.2232; 18.9413
Rašića Gaj, Vlasenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina (contemporary Independent State of Croatia)
DateJune 22, 1941 (1941-06-22) – July 20, 1941 (1941-07-20)
TargetGenocidal persecution of Serbs
Attack type
Mass killing
Deaths70-200
VictimsSerbs
PerpetratorsUstaše
MotiveAnti-Serbian Orthodoxy, anti-Serbian sentiment, Croatisation, Greater Croatia

The Rašića Gaj massacres were massacres of Serbs committed by the Ustaše forces at the beginning of the World War II in Rašića Gaj, Vlasenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina (contemporary Independent State of Croatia) in June and July 1941. The estimations of the number of Serbs killed in Rašića Gaj vary between at least 70 and 200. It was one of the most shocking early World War II war crimes for Serbs in Eastern Bosnia and the testimonies about the cruel slaughter of Serbs in Rašića Gaj spread among the population of the region, causing fear and anger among the Serbs.