Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff is on trial in Hungary over charges
filed by an alleged mass murderer. Sandor Kepiro accused
Zuroff of libel, saying Zuroff should have spoken of Kepiro's
alleged war crimes as opinion, instead of stating them
as fact.
Zuroff has presented documents showing that in 1944, Kepiro and several others
were convicted of participating in the
Novi Sad massacre, in which an estimated
1,246 people were murdered. The victims
were Jews, Serbs, and Roma.
Kepiro and the other convicts were given harsh sentences, but their sentences
were overturned and they were promoted
a short time later when the Nazi army
invaded Hungary.
Kepiro
was tried by Hungary in absentia in
1946 and convicted a second time. He
had already fled to Argentina. He returned
to Budapest in 1996.
Zuroff
discussed the case with Arutz Sheva's
Hebrew-language news service. He expressed
frustration at being put on trial while
Kepiro is free. There is overwhelming
evidence in Kepiro's case, he said.
He dismissed Kepiro's claim that he
was not personally involved in the massacre
as “a blatant lie.”
He
praised the local Jewish community,
which he said has been very supportive.
Many local Jews have come to the courtroom.
Zuroff
expressed hope that some good would
come out of the case, as it may be the
first step in convicting Kepiro. If
Zuroff is found innocent of libel, “then
[Kepiro's] guilt will be indirectly
proven,” he said. Kepiro's involvement
in Novi Sad was revealed four years
ago, and Hungary has not yet decided
whether to put him on trial.
israelnationalnews.com
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