THE Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Centre has slammed the Australian High Court
for refusing to extradite to Hungary a man accused of the
1944 murder of a Jewish teenager.
"It signals a dismal conclusion to Australia's totally unsuccessful efforts to
bring to justice any of the numerous Nazi war criminals who
found refuge in the country," the centre's Israel director Efraim Zuroff said in a statement.
"Today is a sad day for
Australia and for justice, but most of all for the Nazis'
victims, their families and those who empathise with their
suffering," he wrote.
Charles Zentai, 90, was allegedly
one of three Nazi-backed Hungarian soldiers who tortured
and killed 18-year-old Peter Balazs in Budapest. He has always
maintained his innocence.
On Wednesday, he won a legal battle
against extradition to Hungary, in a move which allows him
to stay in Australia, where he has citizenship.
Hungary first requested the extradition
of Mr Zentai in 2005 for the offence of "war crime", namely a fatal assault on Peter Balazs, 18, in November 1944 for not wearing
a yellow Star of David.
"Mr Zentai cannot be surrendered
for extradition because the offence of 'war crime' did not
exist under Hungarian law at the time of Mr Zentai's alleged
criminal conduct," a spokeswoman for Australia's home affairs ministry said earlier, confirming
the decision was final.
The Wiesenthal Centre "noted
that numerous Nazi war criminals had been extradited from
countries of refuge to stand trial in Germany for crimes
which had not yet been categorised as such when they were
committed".
"Today's unfortunate decision
to refuse the Hungarian extradition request appears to ignore
numerous legal precedents which in the past facilitated the
prosecution of the leaders of the Third Reich and additional
Nazi war criminals," it added. perthnow.com.au
|