The Simon Wiesenthal Center today issued a statement urging the Croatian authorities to take every available measure to ensure that indicted Croatian Nazi war criminal Milivoj Ašner is brought to justice as quickly as possible.
The statement was issued in Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, in the wake of media reports that Ašner, who was exposed in the framework of the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” project thanks to the research of Alen Budaj, was seeking the return of his property in Croatia.
“At this point, the most important thing as far as justice is concerned, is that Ašner, who shares responsibility for the persecution, and deportation to concentration camps where they were murdered, of hundreds of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies from Požega be held accountable for his crimes. His attempts to obtain his property while he refuses to face Croatian justice is the height of hypocrisy,” said Zuroff.
Background
Milivoj Ašner, who served as police chief of the city of Požega during the years 1941-1942, was indicted two months ago in Croatia for the crimes he committed during World War II, but has not yet been brought to trial since he is currently residing in Klagenfurt, Austria and the Austrian government refuses to extradite him since he is an Austrian citizen.
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