Alleged Nazi Zentai appeals extradition
WARWICK STANLEY |
SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) – An alleged Nazi war criminal living
in Australia has appealed to the Human Rights Commission
in a bid to avoid extradition to his native Hungary.
The lawyer for Charles (Karoly) Zentai this week asked commission President Catherine
Branson to intervene, the Australian Associated Press reported
Tuesday, on the grounds that there was no guarantee that
Hungary could ensure a fair trial, especially in the absence
of witnesses.
Zentai, 88, of Perth, is facing allegations
in Hungary that he helped murder Jewish teenager Peter Balasz
in Budapest in November 1944.
Zentai has vehemently denied the claim
since he was first arrested by Australian Federal Police
in 2005 after a Simon Wiesenthal Center investigation helped
flushed out information on his whereabouts.
The Human Rights Commission cannot
supersede the legal processes of Zentai’s extradition but
could help Zentai pay for his legal fight against extradition.
Zentai's appeal is scheduled to begin
March 31 in Perth Federal Court.
jta.org
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