Maja Buždon, known as the "Hyena of Death," was a sadistic Ustasha guard at the notorious Jasenovac concentration camp during World War II. The Ustasha, a fascist Croatian nationalist organization allied with Nazi Germany, ran several concentration camps, and Jasenovac was one of the most brutal. It was a site where tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Romani people, and anti-fascist Croats were systematically tortured and murdered.
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Buždon earned her horrific nickname for her psychopathic cruelty and the enjoyment she derived from inflicting suffering. As a female guard, she was infamous for her violent and sadistic actions towards the prisoners at Jasenovac. She was known to torture prisoners with shocking brutality, often beating them with clubs, stabbing them, or using other methods of physical abuse. Buždon’s actions were fueled by the Ustasha ideology, which sought to exterminate minorities and anyone seen as a threat to the Croatian state. Her sadism went beyond just killing; she derived pleasure from the fear and pain she caused, which earned her the reputation of a "hyena."
After the war ended, the Allied forces and local authorities pursued those responsible for war crimes, including the perpetrators at Jasenovac. Maja Buždon was eventually arrested for her role in the atrocities. However, the details surrounding her trial and execution remain less well-documented compared to other notorious figures. Despite this, it is believed that she was convicted of war crimes for her participation in the massacre of innocent people at Jasenovac and was executed.
The execution of Buždon, like that of many other Ustasha guards, was a form of justice for the countless victims who suffered and died in the camp. It also serves as a grim reminder of the sadistic cruelty that some individuals were capable of during the horrors of World War II, particularly those aligned with fascist regimes.