Jerusalem – The
Simon Wiesenthal Center today officially released its 2010
Annual Status Report on the worldwide investigation and prosecution
of Nazi war criminals, which covers the period from April
1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.
Among the highlights of the report are:
- a dramatic increase of over 300% in the number of indictments
filed from five to twenty-one, the highest figure in
the past decade;
- a remarkable increase in the number of new investigations
opened from three hundred and fifteen to four hundred
and fifty-six, with Germany more than tripling the number
of new cases initiated;
- a significant increase in the number of ongoing investigations
from seven hundred and six to eight hundred and fifty
two, with Germany increasing its figure almost six-fold.
- For the first time ever, Germany received the highest
grade possible, a result of the expansion of its prosecution
policy which yielded two convictions, three indictments,
one hundred and thirty new cases and one hundred seventy-seven
ongoing cases.
- The continued lack of political will to prosecute Nazi
war criminals in numerous countries which continues to
be the major obstacle to the prosecution of Holocaust
perpetrators.
- Dr. Sandor Kepiro of Hungary heads the report’s Most
Wanted List. He was among the officers who carried out
a massacre of at least 1,250 residents of the city of
Novi-Sad, Serbia on January 23, 1942. Hungary’s failure
to bring him to trial more than three years after it
began an investigation against him is the reason for
the failing grade it received this year.
The author of the report, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter,
Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, emphasized that the
report’s findings clearly indicate that it is still
possible to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and pointed
to its role in informing the public of the actions, or
lack thereof, of all the countries which should be actively
dealing with this issue.
According to Zuroff:
“The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt
of the killers and old age should not afford protection
to those who committed such heinous crimes. In addition,
we must remember our obligation to the Nazis’ victims
to try and find the perpetrators and hold them accountable
for their crimes. This report clearly demonstrates that
it is still possible, even at this late date, to fulfill
that mission in a meaningful manner.”
For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com
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