Dr Efraim Zuroff, the Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Institute
in Jerusalem, has found the judge’s comments in the upholding
of a Perth pensioner’s appeal against his extradition to
Hungary to face “questions” on the 1944 murder of a Jewish
teenager “offensive”.
He told J-Wire: “The judge’s comments about Zentai’s age are irrelevant…but what
is really in contention is the inference that he will
not get a fair hearing in Hungary. Hungary has not been
a Communist country for decades and is a civilised Western
democracy. We will ask the Hungarian authorities to contest
this decision.”
He also queried statements made
that Zentai is wanted by the Hungarians only for questioning.
"Zentai appealed on Friday against an extradition order approved by the Minister
for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor. The authorities in
Hungary sought his extradition for questioning about the
the murder of 18-year-old Peter Balazs in Budapest in
1944. The Jewish youth was pulled off a tram for not wearing
his yellow Star of David which was technically in order
as he was living in a property in Budapest under Swiss
control.
Meanwhile, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry president, Robert Goot,
has issued the following statement:
“The Federal Court’s latest finding that Charles Zentai
is not capable of being extradited to Hungary is a sad
one for the family of Peter Balazs and those who wish
Zentai to face his accusers.
“The violent death of the young
boy Peter Balazs in Hungary in 1944 was completely unrelated
to any military operations which were then under way.
The alleged conduct therefore constituted not only a war
crime but also murder. Most civilized countries, including
Australia, do not place a legal time limit on bringing
murder charges.”
“Hungary is a democratic country
with an independent judiciary. The Hungarian government’s
request to Australia for the extradition of Zentai should
be granted to allow the Hungarian investigation into the
death of Peter Balazs to be completed and, if Zentai is
charged, his guilt or innocence to be determined. Justice
demands no less.”
“Although the Australian Jewish
community is not involved in the proceedings, it has the
highest proportion of Holocaust survivors of any community
outside of Israel and many people in our community are
following the case with interest.
“We believe it is appropriate
given the complex issues dealt with in the judgment for
the Federal Government to give most serious consideration
to whether grounds exist for an appeal. The integrity
and quality of Australia’s system of justice is not in
question.”
jwire.com.au
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