Further to a request lodged by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor, an
investigative judge of the Belgrade District Court�s War Crimes Chamber
is on the point of launching investigation against Milivoj A�ner (95),
an Austrian citizen suspected of involvement in the crimes committed
in Po�ega (Croatia) between May 1941 and the latter part of September
1942. According to the Prosecutor�s charges, A�ner, at the time head
of the Po�ega police station, is criminally responsible for offences
recognized as genocide and crimes against humanity.
The Prosecutor claims that there are reasonable grounds for
suspicion that A�ner, intent on the total destruction of the
Serb and Jewish ethnic and religious communities, acting alone
or in concert with other government structures, ordered the
killing, extermination, persecution, expulsion, torturing and
forceful displacement of Serbs and Jews. A�ner also personally
engaged in the execution of similar orders that he received
from his superiors � officials of the then Independent Republic
of Croatia (NDH).
In August 1941, as many as 438 civilians, who had been arrested
in the area of Derventa and Bosanski Brod, were severely beaten
and then transferred to the concentration camp in Slavonska
Po�ega, where they were killed because of their alleged participation
in a revolt against the state authorities. Additionally, A�ner
is suspected of deportation of Po�ega Jews to the so-called �death
camps� in Croatia � Gospic, Jasenovac and �akovo.
Like in the cases against Egner and Kepiro, the War Crimes
Prosecutor has opened pretrial proceedings in the A�ner case
upon the initiative taken by Dr. Efraim Zuroff, head of the
Jerusalem Simon Wiesenthal Center. Since pretrial proceedings
related to A�ner�s role in the said acts and his responsibility
for war crimes against civilian population are currently under
way before the District Court in Po�ega (Croatia), copies of
all documentary materials have been obtained from the Po�ega
District Prosecutor.
The Serbian Prosecutor has urged the Court to open investigation
against A�ner without hearing the suspect, and to rule his
detention. In the meantime, the Prosecutor suggests that the
Serbian Ministry of Justice should seek A�ner�s extradition
from Austria.
Public Relations Service
Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor
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