Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today sharply criticized the recent (January 8) decision by the Slovenian Supreme Court to annul the 1946 conviction of the notorious anti-Semite Leon Rupnik, who headed the Provisional Government of the Nazi-occupied Province of Ljubljana and played a major role in the arrest and deportation of Jews from Ljubljana in 1943 and 1944.
In a letter sent today to Slovenian ambassador to Israel H.E. Andreja Purkart Martinez, the Center’s director of Eastern European Affairs Dr. Efraim Zuroff cited Rupnik’s active participation in Holocaust crimes and criticized the shameful decision by the court.
According to Zuroff:
“This shameful decision constitutes a shocking distortion of the history of the Holocaust and a horrific insult to Rupnik’s many victims and their families.
“We kindly request that you promptly convey our protest to the pertinent Slovenian authorities so that the proper measures can be taken to undo the enormous damage wrought by this unjust decision of the Slovenian Supreme Court.”
For additional information please contact the Israel Office of the Wiesenthal Center:
Tel: +972-2-563-1274 or Tel: +972-50-721-4156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com
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