August 10, 2006 Blic
 

Serbia to put on trial ustasha war criminals

 
 

The leading world fighter against the Nazis of 'Simon Wiesenthal' Center, Efraim Zurof requested from Serbia President Boris Tadic that Serbia judicial bodies request extradition of Milivoje Ashner, former ustasha mayor of Dubrovnik and Ivo Rojnica, former chief of ustasha police in Slavonska Pozega, Croatia.

'Serbia has the right to request and organize court trial against Rojnica and Ashner. It is one of the countries-successors of former Yugoslavia that proclaimed them war criminals. Their victims among others, were Serbs as well', Zurof said at yesterday's press conference in Belgrade.

He announced that some other ustasha war criminals would also brought to the face of justice and he had discussed that these days with Serbia officials in Belgrade. He revealed that some Nazi criminals had been located in some of the countries of former Yugoslavia.

When asked if he was speaking about Croatia he replied 'very possibly'. He said that Ashner was located in Klagenfurt, Austria and that Rojnica is in Buenos Aires. At the time when Franjo Tudjman was in power this Nazi war criminal was suggested to be appointed for Croatia Ambassador in Argentina.

'Wiesenthal' Center has supplied voluminous documentation to Croatia Attorney General Mladen Bajic. 'Nothing has been done on that until so far', Zurof explained.

He pointed out that the operation of catching of Nazi war criminals called 'The Last Chance' was still going on.