WIESENTHAL CENTER’S CHIEF NAZI-HUNTER ZUROFF: STEIDTMANN CASE IS YET ANOTHER PROOF OF THE RELATIVE FAILURE OF GERMANY TO ADEQUATELY PROSECUTE HOLOCAUST PEPETRATORS

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, responded today to a decision by a Leipzig court to allow the publication of a memoir by a Gestapo secretary in which she mentioned her former lover Erich Steidtmann, whose service as an officer in a unit which carried out killing operations in the Warsaw Ghetto was thereby exposed, as another proof of the relative failure of the German judicial authorities to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice in the Federal Republic.

In a statement issued here today, the veteran Nazi-hunter pointed out that in the wake of Steidtmann’s futile efforts to block the publication of the book, his lies regarding his service in the Warsaw Ghetto were exposed, as was the failure of the German judiciary to adequately investigate his case. “It appears that among other things, Steidtmann claimed that he had fought against 400 German deserters who joined the ghetto fighters against the Nazis, a claim that is patently untrue and should immediately have aroused the suspicions of the German investigators. Instead, his self-serving false version of the events was apparently accepted and led to the decision not to prosecute him,” said Zuroff, who also noted the unusually-extensive coverage of the case which stemmed in his opinion “from the prurient interest of the media rather than the failure of the German judiciary to prosecute Steidtmann.”

For further information: Call 972-50-721-4156.
www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
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WIESENTHAL CENTER: DEATH OF USTASHE GOVERNOR OF DUBROVNIK
UNPROSECUTED IN ARGENTINA IS FAILURE OF CROATIAN JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today criticized the failure of Croatia to prosecute the Ustashe governor of the city of Dubrovnik, who played an important role in the persecution of the city’s Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies, who died several days ago unprosecuted in Buenos Aires. Ivo Rojnica, who assumed control of the city of Dubrovnik upon the creation of the "Independent State of Croatia" (NDH) in spring 1941, began the implementation of a policy of repression and persecution against the city´s minorities, which culminated in the murder of many Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies during World War II. After the war, he escaped together with numerous members of the Ustashe fascist movement which ruled Croatia to Argentina, where he lived until his demise late last week.
In a statement issued in Jerusalem by the its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who headed the Center´s efforts to facilitate Rojnica´s prosecution in Croatia, the Center laid the primary blame for the fact that Rojnica was never punished for his crimes on the Croatin judiciary which has been investigating his case for numerous years but never indicted him or asked for his extradition. "The ultimate responsibility to bring Ustashe criminals to justice is that of Croatia. The fact that Rojnica died unprosecuted in Buenos Aires can be primarily attributed to a lack of political will in Zagreb, which might well be a product of Rojnica´s prominent role in the Croatian emigre community and his substantial wealth," said Zuroff. "At least our efforts exposed his wartime role as an Ustashe criminal and helped prevent his appointment as Croatian ambassador to Argentina," he added.

For further information: Call 972-50-721-4156.
www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
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מרכז שמעון ויזנטל פותח השבוע בדרום אמריקה את "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה"

המיזם, שנפתח לראשונה בליטא, לטביה ואסטוניה ביולי 2002, מציע פרס כספי למי שימסור מידע שמאפשר העמדה לדין והענשה של פושעי מלחמה נאצים, והניב עד כה שמות של 488 חשודים מעשרים מדינות שונות, ומתוכם הועברו 99 שמות לתובעים מקומיים. מידע זה הביא כבר לשלושה צווי מאסר, שתי בקשות הסגרה ופתיחת עשרות חקירות.

הפרוייקט ייפתח במסיבות עיתונאים בראשות דר' אפרים זורוף, צייד הנאצים ומנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל וסרג'יו ווידר, מנהל מרכז ויזנטל באמריקה הלטינית במועדים ובמקומות הבאים:

יום ג', 27 בנובמבר: בואנוס-איירס, ארגנטינה
יום ו' 30 בנובמבר: סנטיאגו, צ'ילה
יום ג' 4 בדצמבר: סאו-פאולו, ברזיל
יום ו' 7 בדצמבר: מונטבידאו, אורוגואי

לדברי דר' זורוף: "פתיחת "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" במדינות דרום אמריקה עשוי להניב תוצאות חשובות בהתחשב בכך שפושעי מלחמה ומשתפי פעולה נאצים רבים נמלטו לשם לאחר המלחמה."

Wiesenthal Center to Launch “Operation: Last Chance”
in South America This Week

The project, which was started in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in July 2002, offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the prosecution and punishment of Nazi war criminals, and has already yielded the names of 488 suspects from twenty different countries, 99 of which have been submitted to local prosecutors. This information has resulted in three arrest warrants, two extradition requests and dozens of ongoing investigations.

The project will be launched at press conferences in the following cities on the following dates by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff and its Latin American director Sergio Widder:

Tuesday, November 27: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Friday, November 30: Santiago, Chile
Tuesday, December 4: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Friday, December 7: Montevideo, Uruguay

“Given the large number of Nazi war criminals and collaborators who escaped to South America, the launching of “Operation: Last Chance” in these countries has the potential to yield important results,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com
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WIESENTHAL CENTER URGES SERBIAN AUTHORITIES TO CANCEL ROCK CONCERT PLANNED FOR SITE OF FORMER NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP

Zuroff noted that in his relatively-recent discussions with Serbian President BorisTadic, the Serbian leader had expressed his desire to turn the grounds of the former concentration camp into a museum dedicated to the Holocaust, a plan warmly supported by the Wiesenthal Center which offered its assistance in the project. “The rock concert scheduled for tomorrow clearly shows how necessary the memorial project conceived by Presiednt Tadic truly is, and we urge the Serbian authorities to expedite its realization. At the same time, we want to remind the authorities in Belgrade that until the museum is completed, the honor and dignity of the victims of Sajmiste must be preserved and rock concerts on the site are not appropriate,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
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Wiesenthal Center’s Chief Nazi-Hunter Meets Chairman of Russian Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs to Discuss Cooperation in Combating Glorification of Nazism and Distortion of Holocaust History in Post-Communist Eastern Europe

WIESENTHAL CENTER: MASSAKER VON RECHNITZ NEU AUFROLLEN

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem verlangt eine neue Untersuchung des Massakers von Rechnitz/Österreich, bei dem im Ende März 1945 etwa 180 Juden erschossen worden sind. Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Leiter des Centers in Jerusalem: „Der Massenmord ist nie wirklich aufgeklärt, die Ermittlungsverfahren sind unter zum Teil merkwürdigen Umständen eingestellt worden.“ more...
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NAZI-JÄGER EFRAIM ZUROFF VOM SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER:
SUCHE NACH „DR . TOD“ (ARIBERT HEIM) GEHT WEITER -
310.000 EURO BELOHNUNG AUSGESETZT!

Jerusalem. Der Nazijäger des Simon Wiesenthal Centers, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Leiter des Büros in Jerusalem, hat heute die Behauptungen des Buchautoren Danny Baz über den angeblichen Tod des KZ-Arzts Aribert Heim („Dr. Tod“) als „pure Fantasie“ bezeichnet. Der ehemalige israelische Offizier Danny Baz hatte behauptet, er habe Anfang der 1980er Jahre in den USA an der Tötung von Dr. Aribert Heim teilgenommen. Baz stellt seine Behauptungen in einem Buch auf, das jetzt in Frankreich unter dem Titel „Ni oubli, ni pardon, la traque du dernier Nazi“ erscheinen soll. more...
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WIESENTHAL CENTER’S CHIEF NAZI-HUNTER EFRAIM ZUROFF:
“ THE SEARCH FOR ‘DR. DEATH’ (ARIBERT HEIM) CONTINUES;PRIZE OFFERED STANDS AT 310,000 EUROS”

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, today dismissed as “pure fantasy” the claims by former Israeli colonel Danny Baz that he had participated in the early eighties in the execution in the United States of notorious Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim (“Dr.Death”), who is wanted for the murder of hundreds of inmates of the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Baz makes his claims in a book scheduled for publication in France this week under the title Ni oubli, ni pardon; la traque du dernier Nazi [Not Forgotten or Forgiven; On the trail of the last Nazi]. more...
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For First Time Ever Poland Gets Failing Grade in Wiesenthal Center 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the full text of its sixth Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2006 until March 31, 2007 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World War II. more...
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For First Time Ever Lithuania Gets Failing Grade in Wiesenthal Center 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the full text of its sixth Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2006 until March 31, 2007 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World War II. more... ________________________________________________________________________

JAHRESBERICHT DES WIESENTHAL CENTERS FÜR 2007: ZAHL DER VERURTEILTEN NS-TÄTER WELTWEIT GESTIEGEN – ABER ÖSTERREICH VERSAGT NACH WIE VOR TOTAL BEI DER VERFOLGUNG NAZI-VERBRECHERN

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center Center hat heute seinen sechsten Jahresbericht über die weltweite Strafverfolgung von Nazi-Verbrechern vorgelegt. Der Bericht untersucht den Zeitraum vom 1. April 2006 bis 31. März 2007. Er vergibt Noten von A (höchste) bis F für die Bemühungen von mehr als drei dutzend Ländern, in denen entweder NS-Verbrechen passiert sind oder die nach dem II. Weltkrieg Holocaust Täter aufgenommen haben. more...
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DEUTSCHLAND ERHÄLT ERSTMALS NOTE MANGELHAFT BEI DER VERFOLGUNG VON NAZI-MÖRDERN IM JAHRESBERICHT DES WIESENTHAL CENTERS ZUR STRAFVERFOLGUNG VON NS-TÄTERN WELTWEIT

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center Center hat heute seinen sechsten Jahresbericht über die weltweite Strafverfolgung von Nazi-Verbrechern vorgelegt. Der Bericht untersucht den Zeitraum vom 1. April 2006 bis 31. März 2007. Er vergibt Noten von A (höchste) bis F für die Bemühungen von mehr als drei dutzend Ländern, in denen entweder NS-Verbrechen passiert sind oder die nach dem II. Weltkrieg Holocaust Täter aufgenommen haben. more...
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Wiesenthal Center's 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals Notes Continued Failure of Estonia to Take Legal Action Against Holocaust Perpetrators

For First Time Ever Croatia Gets Failing Grade in Wiesenthal Center 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the full text of its sixth Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2006 until March 31, 2007 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World War II. more...
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Wiesenthal Center's 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals Notes Continued Failure of Austria to Take Legal Action Against Holocaust Perpetrators

For First Time Ever Germany Gets Failing Grade in Wiesenthal Center 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals

El Informe 2007 sobre investigación y procesamiento de criminales de guerra nazis del Centro Wiesenthal revela un notable aumento del número de condenas
Texto completo del informe disponible en las páginas web del Centro Wiesenthal

Jerusalén – El Centro Simon Wiesenthal ha hecho público hoy el texto completo de su sexto Informe Anual sobre el Estado de la Investigación y Procesamiento de Criminales de Guerra Nazis en el Mundo, que abarca el período comprendido entre el 1 de abril de 2006 y el 31 de marzo de 2007 y asigna una calificación de A (la más alta) a F para evaluar los esfuerzos realizados y los resultados alcanzados por más de cuarenta países que fueron escenario de los crímenes nazis o lugar de residencia de conocidos responsables del Holocausto tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial. more...
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Wiesenthal Center 2007 Report on Investigation and Prosecution
of Nazi War Criminals Reveals Remarkable Rise in Convictions
Full Text of Report Available on Wiesenthal Websites

הדו"ח השנתי של מרכז שמעון ויזנטל ל-2007 חושף גידול מפתיע במספר פושעי מלחמה נאצים שהורשעו בשנה האחרונה; מבקר בחריפות את אוסטריה, גרמניה ושתים-עשרה מדינות אחרות על כישלונן בהבאת פושעים נאצים לדין;
משבח את ארה"ב ואיטליה על המשך הצלחותיהן
תוכן הדו"ח המלא מופיע באתרים:

more...
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Wiesenthal Center Criticizes Glorification by Estonia of its Support
for Nazi Germany During World War II

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today harshly criticized the recent celebrations held in Estonia to mark the anniversary of the battles between pro-Nazi Estonian forces and the Soviet Army. In a letter sent from Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, to Estonia’s nonresident ambassador to Israel Aino Lepik von Wiren, the Center noted the participation of Estonian Minister of Defence Jak Aaviksoo and member of parliament Trivimi Velliste, as well as dozens of foreign neo-Nazis who attended the event.

According to Zuroff:
“We view these events as a glorification of those who fought alongside the forces of Nazi Germany, the regime which planned, initiated and implemented the Holocaust and is responsible for the mass murder of millions of innocent civilians. Thus glorifying those who fought for a victory of the Third Reich is an unpardonable insult to that regime’s many victims and those who fought to save Europe from its tyrannical rule.

“Given these circumstances, we find the participation of Estonian Defense Minister Jak Aaviksoo and member of parliament Trivimi Velliste in these events incomprehensible and worthy of condemnation. In fact, it is totally incompatible with Estonia’s membership in NATO and the European Union. In addition, the fact that these events attracted dozens of foreign neo-Nazis clearly demonstrates the danger that they will encourage the rebirth of fascism and racist extremism.

“We kindly request that you convey our protest to the Estonian government which we hope will take appropriate action so that such shameful events will not be repeated in Estonia.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Decision By Austrian Government To Offer 50,000 Euros Reward For Information Leading To Arrest Of Number One And Number Two Most Wanted Escaped Nazi War Criminals Alois Brunner and Dr. Aribert Heim

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed the announcement made public today by the Austrian Justice Ministry on its official website, that it was offering the sum of 50,000 euros for information which would lead to the capture of the number one and number two "Most Wanted" escaped Nazi war criminals Alois Brunner and Dr. Aribert Heim. Brunner, who was last seen alive in 2001 in Syria, where he has enjoyed the full protection of the Syrian government for decades, was responsible for the deportation to death camps of 128,500 Jews from Austria [47,000], Greece [44,000], France [23,500], and Slovakia [14,000]. Heim, whose current whereabouts are unknown but is presumed to be living in Spain or South America, murdered hundreds of inmates of the Mauthausen concentration camp by injecting phenol into their hearts.

 In early 2006, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met in Vienna with the Austrian ministers of justice and the interior to ask the Austrian government to match the prize of 130,000 euros being offered by the German government for information leading to the capture of Heim which the Wiesenthal Center had matched. Thus the Austrian prize brings the reward being offered for information which will facilitate the arrest of Heim to a total of 310,000 euros.

Zuroff noted that in the past financial rewards offered for assistance in the capture of Nazi war criminals had proven critical, as in the case of notorious camp commander Josef Schwammberger whose arrest in Argentina was facilitated by a similar reward offered by the German government.

According to Zuroff:

Wiesenthal Center: Screening of “Thompson” Concert by Croatian State Television in Prime Time Tonight Will Encourage Extremist Nationalism and Ustasha Nostalgia

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today expressed its opposition to the screening tonight in prime time by Croatian state television (Channel 2) of the recent (June 17) concert by rock singer Marko Perkovic (“Thompson”), at which numerous members of the audience displayed Ustasha uniforms, symbols, and banners. In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that the screening of the concert and especially in such an attractive time-slot would “encourage Croatian extremist nationalists by giving official sanction to an event which constituted a brazen display of the symbols of Croatian racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia.”

According to Zuroff:

“The widespread display of Ustasha and ultranationlist symbols at Thompson concerts is no mistake or coincidence. A singer who sings nostalgically about Ustasha leader Ante Pavelic and favorably about Croatia’s worst World War II concentration camps Jasenovac and Stara Gradiska, is openly urging his fans to identify with the genocidal Ustasha regime which sought to liquidate Croatia’s Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies as well as their Croatian political opponents. By broadcasting Thompson’s concert on state television in prime time the government is in essence expressing its approval for his hateful message.”

For more information please contact: 972-50-721-4156
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ON BIRTHDAY OF AUSTRIAN-BORN NAZI WAR CRIMINAL, WIESENTHAL CENTER URGES AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN REWARD OFFERED FOR CAPTURE OF DR. ARIBERT HEIM-„DR. DEATH“ OF MAUTHAUSEN

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today reissued its call to the Austrian government to join with the German authorities and the Wiesenthal Center in the financial reward currently being offered to solicit information which would lead to the capture and trial of escaped Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim, who murdered hundreds of inmates with lethal injections of phenol to the heart in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria in1941.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr.Efraim Zuroff noted that almost a year and a half had passed since his meetings in Vienna with the Austrian ministers of justice and the interior, both of whom stated that the government’s participation in such a reward was legally possible, yet despite the passage of so much time on a matter of such urgency, no answer had yet been received.

According to Zuroff:
„Today, probably somewhere in South America, Dr. Aribert Heim will be celebrating his birthday, very-satisfied with the fact that he has already eluded justice for 45 years. (He was about to be prosecuted in West Germany in 1962, when he disappeared.) In meetings this week with the special German police task force to capture Heim, we were reinforced in our belief that he is still alive and under these circumstances, the enlargement by the Austrian government of the reward for his capture can be of considerable help in bringing him to justice. I therefore urge the Austrian authorities to join in this initiative as quickly as possible and thereby considerably increase the chances that this arch murderer will finally be held accountable for his crimes.“

Wiesenthal Center Urges Spanish Government to Launch Comprehensive Investigation of Entry and Current Residence of Nazi War Criminals

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today revealed that it has officially asked the Spanish government to launch a comprehensive investigation of the entry and current residence in Spain of individuals who committed genocide and/or crimes against humanity during World War II.

In a letter sent last week to Spanish ambassador to Israel Eudaldo Mirapeix, in the wake of the discovery in Spain of the most decorated Norwegian SS-veteran Fredrik Jensen, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff called upon the Spanish authorities to finally address this issue by undertaking a thorough inquiry that would reveal the scope of the problem and identify any Holocaust perpetrators who can still be prosecuted for their crimes.

According to Zuroff:

“Under the current circumstances, with time rapidly running out on the efforts to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice, I believe that it would be particularly important for the Spanish government to finally launch a comprehensive investigation of this issue. Such an undertaking would not only help identify individuals currently residing in Spain who might still be accountable for their crimes, but would also send powerful message that your country will no longer serve as a haven for Holocaust perpetrators. Needless to say, the Wiesenthal Center stands ready to assist the government in carrying out such an investigation.”

For more information call 972-50-721-4156

www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
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Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Decision to Deny Nazi War Criminal Priebke the Right to Work; Urges His Incarceration in Jail Rather than House Arrest

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the decision yesterday by military judge Isacco Giorgio Guistiniani suspending the permission granted last week to convicted Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke to go to work in his lawyer’s office in Rome.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff reiterated the Center’s ironclad opposition to the granting of any privileges to convicted Nazi war criminals. “Unrepentant Nazi murderers do not deserve any privileges, consideration or sympathy, regardless of their age. People who executed civilians and had no mercy on their innocent victims do not deserve to be treated with kindness,” said Zuroff.

According to Zuroff:

“Yesterday’s photo of Priebke on the back of a scooter on the streets of Rome on his way to work was a shocking reminder of the practical implications of last week’s decision. If anything, it shows that Priebke is healthy enough to be incarcerated in jail (rather than under his current house arrest) and we strongly
urge the Italian authorities to consider such a step.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
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Wiesenthal Center Expresses Outrage At Massive Outburst of Nostalgia for Croatian
Fascism at Zagreb Rock Concert; Urges President Mesic to Take Immediate Action

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today expressed its sense of outrage and disgust in the wake of a massive show of fascist salutes, symbols and uniforms at a rock concert by popular ultra-nationalist Croatian singer “Thompson” attended by 60,000 people in Zagreb last night. In a letter sent today to Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff noted the presence of Croatian dignities, including the Minister of Science, Education and Sports, at the event and called for the banning of concerts by singers like Thompson who glorify fascism and racism.

According to Zuroff:

“According to the Croatian media, the concert turned into a massive fascist demonstration with tens of
thousands of people shouting the infamous Ustasha salute of “Za dom spremni.” In addition,… numerous participants came wearing Ustasha uniforms and symbols. To make matters worse, in attendance last night were officials and members of Parliament, as well as the Minister of Science, Education [!!] and Sports.

“Under the current circumstances, I believe that the time has come to prohibit public concerts by those who write songs of nostalgia for Jasenovac and inspire the show of Ustasha symbols, which constitute open and blatant incitement against all the minorities in Croatia.

“I believe that only if someone of your stature and outstanding anti-fascist credentials will lead the efforts to combat this ugly wave of revived fascism, can this extremely dangerous new trend be stopped before it engulfs Croatia.”

For more information please contact: 972-51-214-156
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Wiesenthal Center on Decision to Allow Convicted Nazi War Criminal Erich Priebke to Work: "Outrageous, Senseless and Insensitive"

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today harshly criticized the decision taken yesterday by an Italian military judge to allow convicted Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke to work despite his being under house arrest for his role in the murder of three hundred and thirty-five Italian civilians in the Ardeatine caves outside Rome in March 1944.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center categorizd the decision as ”outrageous, senseless, and insensitive.”

According to Zuroff:

”Any decision which grants privileges to a convicted and unrepentant Nazi war criminal like Priebke is outragous because it is based on a totally false assumption that as an elderly person Priebke deserves a measure of sympathy and even privileges. But the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of Holocaust perpetrators and people like him, who had no mercy for their victims, do not deserve any sympathy themselves. The decision is senseless since there is no basis to grant Priebke privileges and the fact that he has reached an elderly age does not turn a murderer into Righteous Gentile. It is insensitive since it insults the family and friends of those murdered by Priebke and his cohorts.”

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today expressed satisfaction in the wake of confirmation received via the Austrian Embassy in Tel-Aviv that the Austrian authorities had launched an official criminal investigation into the widespread display of fascist Ustasha symbols at the May 12 gathering of Croatian nationalists in Bleiburg , Austria . The Center's chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff had officially protested the failure of the Austrian authorities to prevent or stop the display of the symbols of the Croatian fascist Ustasha movement which “made a mockery of Austria's ban on Nazi symbols and its law against Holocaust denial,” shortly after the event.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem , Zuroff welcomed the launching of the investigation and urged its expedition “to send an unequivocal message that Austria will not allow the display of symbols which extol the fascist movement which conducted an official policy of genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies during World War II.”

“In that respect, there was absolutely no difference between the Nazis and their Ustasha allies,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

Wiesenthal Center Urges Australian Authorities to Expedite
Extradition Proceedings Against Holocaust Perpetrator

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center has urged the Australian judicial authorities to expedite the extradition appeal process in the case of accused Holocaust perpetrator Charles Zentai, in the wake of today’s decision by a court in Perth to resume his case only on August 7, “lest the lengthy and numerous delays granted the accused ultimately facilitate his eluding justice.”

In a statement issued here today by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that Zentai had already succeeded in postponing his appeal against the Hungarian request for his extradition to stand trial for murder in Budapest for more than two years, and that every delay only brought him closer to escaping prosecution.

According to Zuroff:

“The fact that Zentai has been able to delay his appeal for such a long time is an absolute travesty of justice. If Peter Balasz whom Zentai is accused of murdering on November 8, 1944 had been the beneficiary of similar delays, he would have survived the Holocaust [since Budapest was liberated from the Nazis in mid-February 1945], but that is a luxury that Zentai and his accomplices never afforded him. To date, the Australian justice system has proven to be overly kind to an individual whose alleged crimes clearly do not qualify him for any such consideration.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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WIESENTHAL CENTER KRITISIERT VERBOT EINER GEDENKVERANSTALTUNG FÜR NS-OPFER DURCH LANDRATSAMT GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center hat heute die Entscheidung des Landratsamtes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen kritisiert, das eine Gedenkveranstaltung für Opfer des Nationalsozialismus am Pfingstwochenende am Hohen Brendten in Mittenwald verboten hat. Die Arbeitskreise „Distomo“ und „Angreifbare Traditionspflege“ hatten dort eine Kundgebung angemeldet, um der Opfer deutscher Gebirgstruppen des Zweiten Weltkrieges zu gedenken. Gleichzeitig findet dort eine Versammlung des „Kameradenkreises der Gebirgstruppe“ statt.

„Es ist nicht fair, eine Gedenkveranstaltung zugunsten der Opfer zu verbieten, während Angehörige von Nazi-Truppenverbänden, die schwere Verbrechen begangen haben, wie ehrbare Bürger behandelt werden“, kritisiert der Leiter des Wiesenthal Centers in Jerusalem, Dr. Efraim Zuroff. Veteranen der belasteten Gebirgstruppen müssten die Konfrontation mit ihren Gegnern aushalten, zumal sie sich nie für ihre Untaten entschuldigt hätten, so Zuroff.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff: „Das Landratsamt misst mit zweierlei Maß. Die Veteranen von NS-Gebirgstruppen werden über Gebühr geschützt, während das Gedenken der Opfer am Hohen Brendten verboten wird. Die bayerische Behörde verhält sich gefühllos gegenüber den Opfern. Das Gedenken für die Opfer muss stattfinden.“

Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156
www.operationlastchance.org

www.wiesenthal.com

Wiesenthal Center Protests Failure of Austrian Authorities to Prevent Widespread Use of Ustasha (Croatian Fascist) Symbols at Gathering of Extreme Nationalists in Bleiburg, Austria

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today protested the utter failure this past Sunday of the Austrian authorities to prevent or stop the widespread use of Croatian fascist Ustasha symbols at a gathering of Croatian nationalist extremists held in Bleiburg, Austria. In a statement issued in Jerusalem and transmitted orally to the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Austrian Embassy in Israel, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director, Dr. Efraim Zuroff called for a full investigation of the events at Bleiburg and for steps to be taken to prevent their recurrence.

According to Zuroff:

“The fascist demonstrators at Bleiburg made a mockery of Austria’s ban on the use of Nazi symbols and its law against Holocaust denial by showing up in Ustasha uniforms and waving photographs of Ustasha leader Ante Pavelic, the person most responsible for the genocide carried out by the Croatian state (NDH) against Serbs, Jews and Gypsies during World War II.

“Is it any wonder that Austria continues to give haven to Croatian war criminal Milivoj Ašner, who lives in nearby Klagenfurt? If nationalist extremists can parade in Ustasha uniforms in 2007, today’s Austria is obviously sympathetic to Ašner, whose extradition to stand trial in Croatia for his crimes as Požega police chief has been blocked by Austria for over a year and a half.”

For more information please contact: 972-51-214-156
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Wiesenthal Center: Removal by Estonian Government of Soviet-Era Memorial From City Center Reflects Lack of Sensitivity to Nazi Crimes and Insults Their Victims

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today criticized the removal from the center of Tallinn to a military cemetery by the Estonian government late last week of a Soviet memorial commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany, which had stood for decades in the center of the Estonian capital.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that the removal of the monument minimizes the severity of the crimes of the Holocaust in Estonia and insults the Nazis‘victims in the country.

According to Zuroff:
“While the Center unequivocally condemns the crimes committed against Estonians of all faiths and nationalities under Soviet rule, it must never be forgotten that it was the Red Army which effectively stopped the mass murder conducted by the Nazis and their local collaborators on Estonian soil until the final day of its occupation by Nazi Germany. Thus the removal of the monument from the center of Tallinn by the government reflects a regrettable lack of sensitivity to the depth of Nazi criminality and is an insult to its victims. This is not surprising in a country which has proven to be indifferent to the crimes committed by Estonian Nazi collaborators, not a single one of whom has been held accountable since Estonia became independent, whereas numerous Communist collaborators have been prosecuted by the local judicial authorities.”

Estonia received an “F” or failing grade in the Wiesenthal Center’s last (2007) Annual Status Report on the worldwide investigation and prosecution of Nazi war criminals, published this month .

For more information please contact: 972-51-214-156
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WIESENTHAL CENTER EXPRESSES CONCERN REGARDING ANTI-SEMITIC COMMENT BY FORMER BASKETBALL STAR SARUNAS MARCIULIONIS AND WELCOMES HIS APOLOGY TO LITHUANIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today expressed its concern in the wake of an anti-Semitic comment made by Lithuanian former NBA star Sarunas Marciulionis in the course of an argument with a local Jew during the recent events marking the 85th anniversary of Lithuanian basketball. Marciulionis, who claims that he was insulted by Shabtai Kalmanovich , a member of the Kaunas Jewish community, reacted by saying that “There is no place for a Jew here [at the events marking the anniversary].” Although Marciulionis later claimed that he did not understand what was objectionable about his comment, he did subsequently apologize to the Jewish community.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff,
warned that public figures, and especially sports heroes, had to be particularly careful when expressing their displeasure. “Regardless of the nature of the dispute between them, there was absolutely no reason for Marciulionis to refer to the fact that Kalmanovich is Jewish and it is clear that he used the term in a pejorative manner. In Lithuania, where basketball is the most popular sport, and outstanding hoopsters are local heroes, such comments provide legitimacy for local anti-Semitism, which in the past played a role in the mass murder of Lithuanian Jewry and continues today, on a much smaller scale, to pose a problem in contemporary Lithuania. We therefore are pleased that Marciulionis apologized and urge him to show greater sensitivity to the problem of local anti-Semitism in the future,” said Zuroff.

For more information call: 00-972-50-7214156

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WIESENTHAL CENTER RENEWS CALL FOR RESIGNATION OF BADEN-WŰRTTEMBURG GOVERNOR OETTINGER IN WAKE OF NEW REVELATIONS OF HIS EXTREMIST VIEWS

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today renewed its call for the resignation of Baden-Wűrttemburg governor Gűnther Oettinger in the wake of new revelations concerning his extremist right-wing sympathies. The Center had originally called for his resignation earlier this month, in the wake of his eulogy for his predecessor Hans Filbinger, whose Nazi past and war crimes as a Nazi judge who sentenced numerous innocent people to death, Oettinger chose to ignore.

According to the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Oettinger’s apology for whitewashing Filbinger’s Nazi past rings extremely hollow given his continued membership in the “Studienzentrum Weikersheim,” a right-wing academic center founded by Filbinger which regularly invites speakers with extremist, and in certain cases anti-Semitic, views to deliver public lectures. Thus one of those scheduled to speak there is Martin Hohmann, who was expelled from the CDU for anti-Semitic statements. In addition, according to press reports, Oettinger regularly sings the currently-illegal first stanza of the Nazi-era national anthem “Deutschland Deutschland über alles,” which speaks of a territorially much-expanded Germany, a clear reflection of his ultra-nationalist sympathies.

“If we add his most recent statement to his old student association in which he praised the advantages of going to war and bemoaned the lack of any imminent conflict, it becomes crystal-clear that Mr. Oettinger is clearly unsuited for the responsibility of leading Baden-Wűrttemburg,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-2-563-1273 or 972-50-7214156

WIESENTHAL CENTER FORDERT BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERGS MINISTERPRÄSIDENT GÜNTHER OETTINGER ZUM RÜCKTRITT AUF

Jerusalem. „Die aktuellen Äußerungen des baden-württembergischen Ministerpräsidenten Günther Oettinger, der die NS-Vergangenheit seines Vorgängers Hans Filbinger rechtfertigte, sind absolut unfassbar.“ Das Simon Wiesenthal Center schließt sich den Rücktrittsforderungen an. „Ein Ministerpräsident, der die Nazi-Vergangenheit des ehemaligen Ministerpräsidenten und NS-Marinerichters Hans Filbinger leugnet und reinwäscht, ist untragbar“, sagte der Direktor des Centers in Jerusalem, Dr. Efraim Zuroff.

Efraim Zuroff: „Es ist erwiesen, dass Filbinger an Todesurteilen während des Zweiten Weltkriegs beteiligt war. Es ist erwiesen, dass Filbinger Mitglied der NSDAP war. Es ist erwiesen, dass er noch im Juni 1945 einen Soldaten wegen Entfernens von der Truppe verurteilt hat. Es ist erwiesen, dass er das Nazi-Unrecht nach 1945 ganz allgemein gerechtfertigt hat. Vor allem aber hat Filbinger als Gründer, Präsident und Ehrenmitglied des „Studienzentrums Weikersheim“ Neonazis und Rechtsextremen eine Plattform bei der selbsternannten „geistigen Leistungselite Deutschland“ gegeben. Zudem bestehen Verbindungen zwischen dem „Studienzentrum Weikersheim“ und der so genannten „Gesellschaft für freie Publizistik“ (GfP), deren Protagonisten den Holocaust leugnen und antisemitische Propaganda verbreiten. Die GfP wird deswegen vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet. Sie wurde 1960 von ehemaligen SS- und NSDAP-Mitgliedern gegründet.“

Laut Efraim Zuroff ist es an der Zeit, einen deutlichen Trennstrich gegenüber nationalsozialistischen Kriegsverbrechen zu ziehen.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156

Wiesenthal Center’s Chief Nazi-Hunter Calls Upon Hungarian Government to Expedite Prosecution of Local Nazi War Criminals in Budapest Ceremony

Budapest – The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, today urged Hungarian leaders to make certain that local Nazi war criminals exposed by the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” project would be brought to justice as quickly as possible.

Zuroff issued this call at the main Holocaust memorial in the Hungarian capital, where he appeared as a featured speaker alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Ference Gyurscany, Parliament Speaker Katalin Szili, Chief Rabbi Kardos and others, which was attended by thousands in the square beside the Dohany Street synagogue under the sponsorship of the Hungarian association of the “March of the Living.”

The criminals in question are gendarmerie officer Dr. Sandor Kepiro who is currently under investigation for his role in the mass murders carried out in Novi Sad in January 1942 and Karoly (Charles) Zentai wanted for murder in Budapest in 1944 and currently appealing his extradition to Hungary from Australia. Both were discovered in the framework of “Operation: Last Chance” and are on the Center’s April 2007 “Most Wanted List.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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צייד הנאצים הראשי של מרכז שמעון ויזנטל קרא בטקס בבודפשט לממשלת הונגריה
לזרז את הליכי העמדתם לדין של פושעי מלחמה נאצים

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הדו"ח השנתי של מרכז שמעון ויזנטל מציין עלייה במספר הרשעות פושעי מלחמה נאצים בשנה האחרונה; מבקר בחריפות את אוסטריה, גרמניה ושתים-עשרה מדינות אחרות על כישלונן בהבאת פושעים נאצים לדין;
משבח את ארה"ב ואיטליה על המשך הצלחותיהן

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Wiesenthal Center Annual Report Notes Rise in Number of Convictions of Nazi War Criminals During Past Year; Slams Austria, Germany and Twelve Others for Failure to Bring Holocaust Perpetrators to Justice;
Praises US and Italy for Continued Successes

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the primary findings of its seventh Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2006 until March 31, 2007 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World War II. more...
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Despite the more than 60 years that have passed since the Holocaust, the number of Nazi war criminals being convicted is on the rise, a report released Thursday by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles shows. more...
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SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER KOŠTUNICA AND PRESIDENT TADIĆ PROMISE ZUROFF FULLEST COOPERATION IN EFFORTS TO BRING NAZI WAR CRIMINALS KEPIRO, AŠNER AND ROJNICA TO JUSTICE

Belgrade- The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met here today with Serbian leaders to enlist their support in the ongoing efforts to facilitate the prosecution of three war criminals who committed crimes against Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies on the territory of former Yugoslavia during World War II. The cases in question are those of: former Hungarian gendarmerie officer Dr. Sandor Kepiro, who participated in the mass murder of civilians in Novi Sad in January 1942 and is currently living in Budapest; former Croatian police chief of the city of Slavonska Požega Milivoj Ašner, who orchestrated the persecution and murder of hundreds of civilians under his control and is currently residing in Klagenfurt, Austria; and the former Croatian governor of Dubrovnik, who carried out a policy of persecution and repression against Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies and presently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In separate meetings with Prime Minister Koštunica (together with Justice Minister Stojković and President Tadić, Zuroff stressed the need for Serbia to adopt a proactive stance on these cases and urged the Serbs to seek the extradition of all three criminals. Both Koštunica and Tadić expressed unqualified support for the Center’s attempts to facilitate the prosecution of Holocaust perpetrators and promised that the Serbian authorities would make every effort to provide evidence and political support for this effort.

According to Zuroff:
“I am encouraged by my meetings with both the Prime Minister and the President, whose support for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals was unequivocal, and hope that it will be translated into practical political and judicial action by the pertinent Serbian authorities as quickly as possible.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Jerusalem- The Simon Wiesenthal Center today blasted the February 19 decision, announced today, of the
Budapest Municipal Court not to implement the 1944 jail sentence meted out to Hungarian gendarmerie officer Dr. Sandor Kepiro for his participation in the mass murder of over 1,200 civilians (mostly Jews, the others primarily Serbs and Gypsies) on January 23, 1942 in the Serbian city of Novi Sad [in Hungarian-Ujvidek], then under Hungarian occupation.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunte,r Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who exposed Kepiro’s current whereabouts in Budapest several months ago, the Center expressed its outrage over the mistaken and misguided verdict, which according to Zuroff “grant a totally-undeserved prize to a unrepentant and cynical war criminal who has never been punished for his heinous crimes which have been fully verified by a Hungarian court of law.”

According to Zuroff:
“We firmly believe that this decision is morally unjust and legally flawed since it is based on Kepiro’s return to active service in May 1944, which was not due to his innocence of the original charges on which he was convicted, but rather a decision made possible by the Nazi occupation of Hungary in March 1944. We therefore urge the prosecution to appeal and if unsuccessful, to immediately initiate a full investigation of Kepiro’s criminal activities in 1942 and 1944 in order that he finally be held accountable for his terrible crimes. In that respect, it is important to remember that there is no limitation on prosecution of war crimes and that the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrators.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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Jerusalem- The Simon Wiesenthal Center today issued a public call for the immediate resignation of Tyrol Governor Herwig von Staa and other local political leaders in the wake of an event they recently organized to honor former Gestapo operative and Innsbruck deputy mayor Ferdinand Obenfeldner. Among the politicians who gathered in Innsbruck several weeks ago to honour the former SS-man on the occasion of his 90th birthday were Innsbruck mayor Hilde Zoch, the head of the Tyrolean SPÖ, Hannes Gschwentner, the chief of the SPÖ in Innsbruck, Ernst Pechlaner and local SPÖ-politician Marie-Luise Pokorny-Reitter.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center expressed its anger and frustration that individuals whose deeds during the Nazi period should be publically repudiated, instead are honored by Austrian public figures, who clearly should be acting differently.

According to Zuroff:

“The fact that a person like Obenfeldner, who helped carry out the Kristallnacht pogrom in Innsbruck, in the course of which innocent Jews were murdered, and who is also suspected of participating in the killing of two Polish forced laborers was able to serve for more than 20 years as deputy mayor of Innsbruck and is still presented as a role model by local public figures clearly shows that Austria today remains a virtual paradise for Nazi war criminals. Such behavior makes it more than obvious why not a single Holocaust perpetrator has been successfully prosecuted in Austria in more than three decades and why the country is protecting escaped Croatian Nazi war criminal Milivoj Ašner (currently residing in Klagenfurt), whose extradition to stand trial for his wartime crimes in Požega has been requested more than a year ago by the Croatian judicial authorities.”

“The time has come for Austria not only to acknowledge the truth of extensive complicity in Nazi crimes by Austrians, but also to accept and implement the obvious practical implications,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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JERUSALEM- The Simon Wiesenthal Center today protested the manufacture and distribution throughout Croatia of sugar packets bearing the likeness of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler along with tasteless jokes about Jews incarcerated in concentration camps, by the “Pinki” sugar company of Požega, Croatia.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by the its chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center expressed it s revulsion and disgust that such an item could be produced these days in a country in which the Holocaust not only took place, but was for the most part carried out by local Nazi collaborators.

According to Zuroff:
“One finds it hard to understand  what “Pinki” factory owner Anita Ivanesic was thinking when she initiated or approved of such an idea. If nothing else, this is a disgusting expression of nostalgia for the Third Reich and a period during which Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies were mass-murdered in independent Croatia. We urge the Croatian authorities to apply existing laws against incitement on religious, ethnic, and racial grounds against the “Pinki” factory and its owner and force them to recall the offensive sugar packets immediately. In a country in which so many innocent civilians were murdered by the Ustasha and the Nazis, there can be no tolerance for products which not only insult the memory of the fascists’ victims but encourage a revival of the killers’ lethal ideology.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance.org

www.wiesenthal.com

In the wake of the refusal earlier this week by a Munich court to approve the extradition to Denmark of Danish Nazi war criminal Soeren Kam for the murder of a Danish anti-Nazi newspaper editor, the Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged the Danish Justice Ministry to attempt to achieve Kam’s extradition to stand trial in Copenhagen on the basis of his role in facilitating the deportation of hundreds of Danish Jews to Nazi concentration camps in the fall of 1943.

In a letter sent today to Danish Justice Minister Lene Espersen, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, praised Danish efforts to bring Kam to justice and urged the Danish authorities to seek his extradition on the basis of different crimes than those which were the basis for the original Danish extradition request. In his letter to the minister, Zuroff noted that it Soeren Kam who, together with two accomplices, stole the registry of the Danish Jewish community in late summer 1943 in order to facilitate the roundup and deportation to concentration camps of all its members which took place in October of the same year. Thanks to the efforts of the Danish underground, most of the Jewish community escaped to Sweden, but 472, mostly elderly, Jews were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps, where dozens were murdered or died due to the inhuman conditions.

According to Zuroff:
“Soeren Kam was one of the persons who stole the registry of the names and addresses of the members of the Jewish community of Denmark shortly before the roundup of the Jews to deport them to Nazi concentration camps was to begin. This criminal act, which under the historical circumstances of World War II clearly constituted accessory to murder, should serve as the basis for a renewed attempt to bring Kam to justice in Copenhagen. It was this theft which directly facilitated the deportation of 472 Jews from Denmark to Nazi concentration camps, where 55 of them were murdered or died of the inhuman conditions.

“I urge you to carefully consider this serious crime, which ultimately led to the murder of dozens of innocent Danish citizens, as a basis for a renewed effort by Denmark to seek the extradition of Soeren Kam, whose success hereto in eluding punishment is a travesty of justice.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance.org

www.wiesenthal.com

WIESENTHAL CENTER PROTESTS REFUSAL OF GERMAN COURT TO EXTRADITE NAZI MURDERER SOEREN KAM TO STAND TRIAL IN DENMARK

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today protested the decision of a Munich court to refuse a long-standing Danish request for the extradition of Danish Nazi collaborator Soeren Kam who is wanted in Denmark for the murder in Copenhagen 1943 of Carl Henrik Clemmensen, a Danish anti-Nazi newspaper editor.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel Director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, called the decision "yet another case of misplaced German judicial sympathy for a despicable Nazi collaborator who faithfully served the Third Reich."
The Center urged the Danish authorities to appeal the verdict and renew the efforts to bring Kam to justice in the country in which he committed his crimes.

According to Zuroff:
"As problematic as this decision is, it might have been understandable, if the Germans were willing to prosecute Kam in Germany for his crime, but the exact opposite has been the case. For years, the German judicial authorities have refused to press charges against him and have done everything in their power to help this murderer elude justice.
Under these circumstances, we must reiterate the important principles that dictate:

1. The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of Nazi war criminals.

2. The fact that a Nazi war criminal reaches an elderly age does not turn him or her into a Righteous Gentile.

We hope therefore that a way can be found to hold Soeren Kam accountable for his crimes."

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center today called upon the Hungarian Foreign Ministry to launch an official investigation into the role of Hungarian diplomats in protecting twice-convicted but hereto unpunished Nazi war criminal Dr. Sandor Képiró.

In a letter sent to Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Göncz, who is currently visiting Israel, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff pointed to statements by Képiró indicating that officials of the Hungarian Embassy in Buenos Aires knew of his presence in Argentina and had told him in 1996 that he could return to Hungary without fear of prosecution. At that point, Képiró had been living in Argentina for close to 50 years having escaped from Europe following his convictions in 1944 and 1946 for his role in the mass murder of 1,246 civilians in the city of Novi Sad on January 23, 1942.

Among the questions posed by Zuroff to the Foreign Minister are:

1. Was the Képiró’s residence in Buenos Aires known to Hungarian diplomats? If so, from what date?
2. Was this information ever sent to Budapest and if so, to whom?
3. Did Hungarian diplomats indeed tell Képiró that he could return to Hungary without any fear of prosecution?

According to Zuroff:

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com

מרכז ויזנטל מוחה נגד סרוב בית משפט גרמני להסגיר את הרוצח הנאצי סורן קאם לדנמרק למשפט

ירושלים – מרכז שמעון ויזנטל מחה היום על החלטת בית משפט במינכן שלא להיענות לבקשת דנמרק, שהוגשה זה מכבר, להסגרת פושע המלחמה הדני, משתף הפעולה סורן קאם (Soeren Kam ) אשר מבוקש בדנמרק בשל מעורבותו ברצח קארל הנריק קלמנסן, עורך עיתון דני אנטי-נאצי, בקופנהגן בשנת 1943ל.

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050 _________________________________________________________________________

Zagreb – The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff met late last night with Croatian Attorney-General Mladen Bajić and Deputy Attorney-General Antun Kvakan to discuss ongoing efforts by Croatia to prosecute escaped Ustasha police chief Milivoj Ašner (currently residing in Klagenfurt, Austria) and investigate former Ustasha governor of Dubrovnik Ivo Rojnica (currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina). In the course of the meeting, Zuroff urged the Croatian prosecutors to apply increased pressure on the Austrian authorities who have hereto refused to accede to a Croatian request for Ašner’s extradition, which was submitted in September 2005.

Croatian Attorney-General Bajić acknowledged the intransigence of the Austrian authorities and promised to urge the Croatian Justice Ministry to increase its efforts to expedite the Ašner case.

According to Zuroff:

“Time is rapidly running out in this case and therefore a concentrated effort must be made by all involved parties to finally convince the Austrian authorities that there is absolutely no basis for their refusal to turn over the former police chief of Požega to face charges for his role in the persecution and deportation to concentration camps, where they were murdered, of hundreds of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
www.operationlastchance.org
www.wiesenthal.com

בעקבות ההתקפה אמש על בית ספר יהודי בוינה אומר מנהל מרכז שמעון ויזנטל בישראל שאינו מתפלא על גילויי אנטישמיות באוסטריה שמאפשרת לפושע נאצי למצוא אצלה מקלט

בודפשט – מרכז שמעון ויזנטל קרא היום לממשלת הונגריה לאסור מיד את דר' סאנדור קפירו, שהורשע כבר פע

 דר' אפרים זורוף, צייד הנאצים ומנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל , אמר הבוקר שאין הוא מתפלא על גילויי אנטישמיות באוסטריה שכן כבר למעלה משנה היא מסרבת להסגיר לקרואטיה פושע מלחמה נאצי קרואטי הקשור לאוסטריה – מפקד משטרת פוזגה (קרואטיה) מיליבוי אשנר (Milivoj Ašner) שמצא מקלט בקלאגנפורט, אוסטריה.
אשנר נחשף במסגרת פרוייקט "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" שמציע פרס כספי בעבור מידע שיוליך להרשעה וענישה של מבצעי השואה.

בפגישתו בפברואר השנה עם שר המשפטים האוסטרי קארין גאסטינגר, דרש זורוף שיוסרו כל הגורמים המעכבים, לדברי אוסטריה, את ההסגרה ואשר מונעים כיום את העמדתו לדין של אסנר, אשר כבר הואשם בקרואטיה, מולדתו, שאף ביקשה את הסגרתו כדי להעמידו לדין בפוזגה.

למרות שחלפה למעלה משנה מאז נחשף אסנר, אוסטריה גוררת רגלים בנושא ההסגרה, ומעבירה בזאת מסר שלילי לעם האוסטרי ולעולם כולו, שהודות ליחסה ההססני לפרשה זו יוכל פושע נאצי זה להימלט מאימת הדין

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Jerusalem – Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Drašković expressed his unqualified support for the recent initiative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center to encourage Serbia to seek the extradition of three Nazi war criminals, in a meeting held last night in Jerusalem with the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff. more...
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Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff urged the Serbian government to rapidly expedite the extradition to Belgrade for trial of three Holocaust war criminals in a meeting this evening in Jerusalem with visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Drašković. more...
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center today strongly condemned the ruling issued yesterday by the German Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig which granted significant financial restitution to the son of a Nazi official whose property had been confiscated after the World War II in punishment for his active support of the Nazi regime. more...
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Budapest - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today publicly urged the Hungarian government to immediately arrest Dr. Sandor Képiró, who has already been twice convicted in Hungarian courts for crimes committed during World War II but was never punished for his crimes. He was recently discovered living in Budapest in the framework of the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” project.

מרכז שמעון ויזנטל קורא לממשלת הונגריה לאסור מיד את הפושע המלחמה הידוע
המורשע שחי חופשי בבודפשט

בודפשט – מרכז שמעון ויזנטל קרא היום לממשלת הונגריה לאסור מיד את דר' סאנדור קפירו, שהורשע כבר פעמיים על ידי בתי משפט בהונגריה בשל פשעים שביצע במלחמת העולם השנייה, אך לא ריצה את עונשו מעולם. קפירו, שחי בבודפשט, נחשף לאחרונה במסגרת "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" של מרכז ויזנטל

במסיבת עיתונאים שהתקיימה היום בבודפשט, חשף דר' אפרים זורוף, צייד הנאצים הראשי של המרכז, שקפירו, אשר הורשע (בנוכחותו) בשנת 1944 ושוב (בהיעדרו) בשנת 1946 בגין חלקו ברצח כ 1,000 אזרחים בנובי סאד (אויוידק – בהונגרית) ב 21-23 בינואר 1942, חי ללא חשש בבירת הונגריה בעשור האחרון, לאחר שהתחבא בארגנטינה כמעט מחצית המאה.

:לדברי זורוף

"דר' סאנדור קפירו הוא פושע המלחמה ההונגרי החי הידוע ביותר, שטרם ריצה את עונשו. בהתחשב בכך שהוא הורשע כבר פעמיים, ובתפקידו הניכר בביצוע הרצח ההמוני בנובי סאד בשנת 1942, אנו קוראים לאסור אותו מיידית.
לפי גזר דינו מ-1944, כשקיבל קפירו הוראה לרכז יהודים, סרבים וצוענים בנובי סאד כדי לרצוח אותם הוא דרש "פקודות בכתב" , אך כשנאמר לו שפקודות כאלה ניתנות רק בעל פה, ביצע אותן בכל זאת. אנשים כקפירו הם בעלי מוסר מפלצתי משום שהיו מודעים היטב לפקודות הלא חוקיות ולא מוסריות שקיבלו אך בחרו לבצען בכל זאת."

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-0506 ________________________________________________________________________

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the rejection by the Federal Court of Australia of a legal challenge mounted by “Operation: Last Chance” suspect Charles Zentai to the authority of magistrates in Western Australia to hear his appeal against his pending extradition to Hungary to stand trial for crimes he committed during the Holocaust.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi–hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, said that the decision of the Federal Court was correct and prevented the abuse of the Australian legal system by a lawyer intent on preventing the just prosecution of his client at any cost.

According to Zuroff:

“The legal challenge mounted on Zentai’s behalf was purely technical and had no connection to the heinous crimes he is accused of committing. We no doubt will soon see additional irrelevant attempts by the defendant to convince the authorities not to send him back to the scene of his crimes, but in this regard it is extremely important to remember two principles:

1. The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrator.
2. The fact that a person escaped justice for decades does not turn a murderer into an innocent person.

“We urge the Australian authorities to do whatever possible to expedite the Zentai case and thereby help facilitate the achievement of justice while it still can be obtained.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the decision of Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass to grant access to all documents related to his wartime service in the Waffen-SS in response to a request to that effect made last week by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff.

At the same time, the Center reiterated its original request to Grass that he personally provide complete details on his World War II service in the wake of the growing confusion generated by recent conflicting revelations in the German media.

According to Zuroff:

“While access to German archives will certainly facilitate the research we intend to carry out, historical documents often cannot provide a complete picture of an individual’s World War II service. We therefore urge Mr. Grass to provide as many details as possible on the unit or units he served in, their activities during the war and his own role during this period. Only by doing so will he finally be able to provide the clarity necessary to fully assess his World War II service in the Waffen-SS.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center today demanded that Croatian Attorney General Mladen Bajic conduct an investigation to determine whether escaped Ustasha war criminal Milivoj Ašner entered Croatia in May 2006 without being arrested.

In a letter sent today from Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center sent Attorney-General Bajic evidence which appears to indicate that Ašner secretly entered Croatia in May 2006 and was not arrested, despite being wanted for his crimes as Ustasha police chief of Požega during World War II. Attached to his letter, Zuroff sent a copy of a power of attorney (Punomoc) in which Ašner designated Karlo Loncar of Požega to represent him in a suit he initiated against Holocaust researcher Alan Budaj who uncovered the evidence which made possible his exposure as a war criminal in the framework of the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” and prompted Croatia’s request for his extradition from Austria to stand trial for his crimes. The document noted its location as Požega, was dated May 20, 2006, and signed by Ašner.

According to Zuroff:

“Ustasha war criminal Ašner and those helping him are making a mockery of the Croatian legal system and the time has come to put an end to his violations of the law and bring him to trial at the scene of his crimes. Until now, unfortunately, the only person being tried is Alen Budaj, who deserves a prize for helping to expose a major war criminal and instead is being victimized by him in the Croatian courts.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

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Wiesenthal Center Official Meets With Leading Serbian Orthodox Bishop to Discuss Efforts to Prosecute Escaped Nazi War Criminals and Fight Against Islamic Fundamentalism

Novy Sad – The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met here today with Bishop Iriney, the bishop of the Bačka district, to update him on the Center's efforts to bring escaped Nazi war criminals to justice and the ongoing efforts to combat fundamentalist Islamic anti-Semitism.

In a meeting held at Bishop Iriney's headquarters, Zuroff sought to enlist the support of the Serbian Orthodox Church for the Center's effort to enlist the active involvement of the Serbian government in its campaign to bring escaped Nazi war criminals to justice, and especially Milivoj Asner (former Požega, Croatia police chief now in Austria) and Ivo Rojnica (former Ustasha governor of Dubrovnik, Croatia, now in Buenos Aires), both of whom committed serious crimes against Serbs, Jews and Gypsies during World War II. Bishop Iriney expressed the unqualified support of the Orthodox Church for these efforts, praised the Center's dedication to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, and said that he would speak to Serbian leaders to encourage them to take legal measures against Asner and Rojnica.

Zuroff also discussed the rising threat to Israel and Jewish communities worldwide of the increasingly threatening anti-Semitism against Europe and the fundamentalists of Judeo-Christian civilization. Bishop Iriney expressed his unequivocal revulsion at this wave of the hate directed at Jews and Israel and promised to continue his efforts to combat this ugly phenomenon.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Urges Serbia to Seek Extradition of Escaped Nazi War Criminals in Meeting with President Boris Tadić

Belgrade – The Simon Wiesenthal Center 's chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met here today with Serbian president Boris Tadić in an effort to enlist the active assistance of the Serbian government in its ongoing efforts to bring escaped Nazi war criminals to justice.

At their meeting at the presidential residence, Zuroff submitted dossiers on three escaped Nazi war criminals who committed crimes against Jews, Serbs and Gypsies on the territory of former Yugoslavia during World War II and asked the Serbian government to initiate extradition proceedings against them. The cases in question are those of former Požega [Croatia] police chief Milivoj Ašner who escaped to Austria from Croatia after he was exposed by Zuroff upon the launching of the Center's “Operation: Last Chance” project in Zagreb on June 30, 2004; former Ustasha governor of the city of Dubrovnik, [Croatia] Ivo Rojnica who has been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for decades and a third case whose details remain confidential.

Following the meeting, Zuroff noted with satisfaction the response of President Tadić who emphasized the importance for Serbia of bringing to justice the war criminals of World War II and praised the work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in this regard. In conclusion, Zuroff expressed his hope “that the Serbian government would indeed translate President Tadić's support and admiration into concrete action on these cases of escaped Holocaust perpetrators.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Nazi-Hunter Meets With Holocaust Survivors in Miskolc to Advance Investigation of “Operation: Last Chance” Hungarian Suspect

Miskolc- The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met here today with Holocaust survivors to attempt to advance an investigation currently underway against a suspect discovered in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance” project who is alleged to have participated in the deportation of approximately 14,000 Jews from Miskolc to Auschwitz in June 1944.

The Center urges all survivors of Miskolc who were in the city during the mass deportations of Jews to Auschwitz to contact its Jerusalem office or (in Hungary) to call (06) 557-3981 for additional information.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Submits Names of Two “Operation: Last Chance”
Suspects to Hungarian Prosecutors

Budapest- The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced that its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, has today submitted the names of two Hungarians suspected of Nazi war crimes to prosecutors in Budapest. In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the Center noted that the suspects in question, whose names and current whereabouts were not publically released for security reasons, were suspected of active participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Both were discovered in the framework of the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” project (run in conjunction with the Targum Shlishi Foundation of Miami, Florida) which offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the prosecution and punishment of Holocaust perpetrators.

To date, the Center had received the names of 14 Hungarian suspects, four of which (including the two submitted yesterday) have been submitted to Hungarian prosecutors, since the project was launched in Budapest on July 13, 2004. The initial two names submitted have yielded an extradition request for former Hungarian army officer Charles Zentai from Australia and the opening of an official investigation for genocide (against former Arrow Cross youth leader Lajos Polgar).

In that respect, the Center wants to note the excellent cooperation received hereto from the Hungarian judicial authorities. “We hope and expect that the good cooperation forged between the Center and the Hungarian prosecutors in the case of Zentai and Polgar will continue in the new cases submitted today,” said Zuroff after this meeting at the office of the Prosecutor-General.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Protests Anti-Semitic Article on Požega, Croatia Website

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today protested the recent appearance of a deeply-anti-Semitic article on the “Požega Online” website which mocked the Center's efforts to bring former Požega police chief Milivoj Ašner to justice and its demands that the vandalized and neglected local Jewish cemetery be restored.

In a letter sent today to Croatian ambassador to Israel Ivan Del Vechio, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, whose initiatives on the above issues are the focus of the attacks in the article, calls upon the Croatian authorities to take measures to prevent the appearance of such articles on Croatian websites and to educate the public against such phenomenon.

According to Zuroff:

“The text of the article speaks for itself. It is a classic example of the kind of primitive anti-Semitism, which existed in Croatia in the past, but which we hoped had disappeared forever. Unfortunately that does not appear to be the case. It is bad enough that people harbor anti-Semitic sentiments, but how can such hatred appear on an official website?

“As a native of Požega who has helped in the refurbishing of the local Jewish cemetery, I am certain that you will do your best to deal with this shameful incident. In that regard, while fixing stones and cemeteries is important, the ultimate challenge is to take the necessary measures to wipe out the anti-Semitism which leads to disgusting articles of this sort.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Statement On Death In Melbourne Of Hungarian Nazi Collaborator Lajos Polgar Currently Under Investigation In Budapest For Participation In Genocide During The Holocaust

Jerusalem-In the wake of the death in Melbourne on July 8, 2006 of Hungarian Nazi collaborator Lajos Polgar, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, at whose request the Hungarian government initiated an investigation for participation in genocide against Polgar, issued the following statement:

"The death late last week in Melbourne of Lajos Polgar before he could be prosecuted for his collaboration with the Nazis in World War II and his active role in the fascist Hungarian Arrow Cross movement whose members persecuted and murdered thousands of Hungarian Jews, underscores the tragic failure to prosecute so many of the individuals who were responsible for the crimes of the Holcaust.

"Lajos Polgar was one of numerous Nazi collaborators who managed to escape after World War II to Australia, which unfortunately proved to be a secure haven. In that respect, Polgar was extremely lucky that his Nazi past was only recently discovered because had this information been known a decade or two ago, I am certain that it would have been much easier to find sufficient incriminating evidence to support legal action against him.

"To the very end, Polgar remained proud of his role in the Arrow Cross movement and an unabashed admirer of its leader convicted Nazi war criminal Ferenc Szalasi who was executed in Budapest in March 1946 for war crimes.Polgar recently even had the gall to suggest publically that perhaps the Holocaust had not taken place in Hungary.

"Lajos Polgar should therefore be remembered as an evil person, who wholeheartedly supported a fascist movement which sought to eliminate Hungarian Jewry and enthusiastically cooperated with Nazi Germany, who remained an unrepentant anti-Semite until his dying day and died while under investigation in his homeland for participation in genocide."

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Bundesgericht Verdict Recognizing Service As Concentration Camp Guard As Basis For Cancellation Of Government Pension; Urges Expedition Of Investigation Of Wartime Service To Finalize Decision

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the in-principle verdict of a court in Kassel which late last week decided that service as a guard in a Nazi concentration camp during the Third Reich is sufficient grounds to cancel a pension granted by the state in accordance with a law passed in 1998, whereby individuals who "violated the norms of humanity" can be denied special disability pensions awarded to individuals injured during their service during World War II. At the same time, the Center urged the court, which refrained from finalizing the pension cancellation of a man who served as a guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp, to expedite the examination of his service to fully clarify if he ever sought to obtain a transfer from the camp or actively opposed the crimes against humanity being carried out there, which might serve as a reason to continue his pension.

In a statement issued in Germany and Israel, by the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center stressed the importance of the legal precedent established by the court and expressed the hope that the application of the law calling for the cancellation of the pensions of those who violated the norms of humanity during the Holocaust would not be impeded by endless appeals launched by Nazi war criminals. Zuroff called upon the German authorities to expedite whatever investigations had to be completed before a final decision could be made in this case.

According to Zuroff:

"The process of canceling the special disability pensions of Nazi war criminals is an important dimension of the justice being meted out in Germany to the perpetrators of the Holocaust. In this respect the passage of time is irrelevant and even at this date, it is important that those who committed heinous crimes not be treated as honored citizens of German society. We urge the German judicial authorities to do everything in their power to maximize the expedition of this process."

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Calls for Prosecution of Croatian Nazi War Criminals Ivo Rojnica and Milivoj Ašner at Zagreb Conference on Anti-Semitism

Zagreb – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged the Croatian government to complete the investigation of suspected Nazi war criminal Ivo Rojnica and expedite the extradition from Austria of “Operation: Last Chance” suspect, Milivoj Ašner, both of whom were Ustasha operatives who played an active role in the persecution and murder of civilians in Croatia during World War II.

Speaking at a special conference convened by the leaders of the Zagreb Jewish community in the wake of several recent anti-Semitic incidents, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, called upon the Croatian judicial authorities to maximize the efforts to prosecute the two Ustasha officials who were actively involved in the measures taken against Serbs, Jews, and Roma in the area of Dubrovnik (Rojnica) and Požega (Ašner).

According to Zuroff:

The crimes committed by the Ustasha continue to cast a dark shadow over Croatia and to influence interethnic relations. One of the most effective means of honestly facing the past is by prosecuting those responsible for the crimes of the Holocaust and therefore it is particularly critical that Rojnica and Ašner be brought to trial, while justice can still be achieved.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Launches “Operation: Last Chance” in Canada at Rally on Parliament Hill

Ottawa – The Simon Wiesenthal Center officially launched its “Operation: Last Chance” project in Canada today at a rally on Parliament Hill attended by the Israeli ambassador to Canada Alan Baker and members of parliament. Canada is the tenth country in which O:LC, which offers financial rewards for information which will facilitate the prosecution and punishment of Nazi war criminals, has been initiated by the Center and the Targum Shlishi Foundation of Miami . The others are Lithuania , Estonia , and Latvia (2002); Poland , Romania , and Austria (2003); Croatia and Hungary (2004); and Germany (2005). To date, the project has yielded the names of 427 suspects from seventeen countries, eighty-seven of which have been submitted to local prosecutors following evaluation by the Wiesenthal Center 's researchers.

In his keynote address, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, noted that as of April 1, 2006, there were at least 1,128 ongoing investigations of Nazi war criminals being conducted in seventeen different countries, which clearly indicates that the efforts to prosecute Holocaust perpetrators are far from over and lends increased importance to projects such as “Operation: Last Chance.”

According to Zuroff:

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals Reveals Dramatic Rise of 320% in Convictions; Slams Austria and Others for Failure to Bring Nazis to Justice; Praises US and Italy for Successes During Past Year

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the primary finding s of its sixth Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2005 until March 31, 2006 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World war II. more ___________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Urges Polish Authorities to Expedite Case of Suspected Holocaust Murderer Discovered by Israeli Grandson and Nephew of Victims

The Wiesenthal Center announced today that it had submitted an official request to the Polish judicial authorities to expedite the investigation of a suspected Holocaust murderer who was recently discovered alive in Poland by the grandson and nephew of his victims. The case in question is that of Jozef Radczuk, currently living in the village of Przegaliny near the town of Komarowka in the vicinity of Lublin, who is suspected of participating in the murder of Gitel Lerner (then 45 years old), five of her children (ages 13 to 22 – two daughters and three sons) and two additional Jews on the night of October 30, 1943. Radczuk and his accomplices apparently carried out the murder in order to rob their victims who were hiding from the Nazis in the village. The crime was exposed by Israeli businessman Ronny Lerner, who is the grandson of Gitel and the nephew of her murdered children, and discovered Radczuk's current whereabouts in the course of research on the life of his father Yosef who survived the war in Warsaw posing as a non-Jew.

In a letter sent yesterday by the Center's chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, to Dr. Janusz Kurtyka, president of the Polish Institute of National Memory, which is responsible for the prosecution of Holocaust crimes, Zuroff stressed the need to expedite the Radczuk investigation. In his words:

“Having carefully read the testimonies of Mr. Lerner and a summary of Mr. Radczuk's admissions on film, I believe that it is abundantly clear that this case is undoubtedly worthy of a comprehensive investigation. I would add, moreover, that given the age of the suspect, it is imperative to expedite the efforts to fully clarify the culpability of Jozef Radczuk with a view toward his possible prosecution and punishment as quickly as possible.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Protests Failure by Austrian Authorities to Expedite Extradition to Croatia of Indicted “Operation:Lastchance” Suspect Milivoj Ašner

The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced today that it has officially complained to the Austrian authorities regarding the country's lack of progress in extraditing indicted Croatian Nazi war criminal Milivoj (Georg) Ašner (Aschner)-who is currently residing in Klagenfurt- to Croatia to stand trial for the crimes he committed as police chief of Požega during the years 1941-1942. In letters sent to Justice Minister Gastinger and Interior Minister Prokop, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff complained bitterly that although it is clear that Ašner lost his Austrian citizenship (which would have prevented his extradition), two months have passed with no practical action to expedite his removal to Croatia to stand trial. According to Zuroff:

“Despite the fact that government officials have told the media that Asner forfeited his Austrian citizenship by requesting Croatian citizenship, Asner is still living in Klagenfurt and one can only wonder what has to happen before the Austrian government will finally turn over this Nazi war criminal to face trial in Croatia , the country in which he committed his heinous crimes.

Asner's age is no secret and I believe that it is patently clear that every day that passes without practical progress, only brings him closer to eluding justice. I therefore urge you to take whatever steps can be possibly taken to expedite his extradition to stand trial for his crimes. To do otherwise, might appear to some an act of mercy but there should be no mercy for those like Asner who had no sympathy for their innocent victims.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center's Chief Nazi-Hunter Efraim Zuroff: Failure to Punish Dailide is Proof that Lithuania is Safest Haven in the World for Local Nazi War Criminals

The Simon Wiesenthal Center severely criticized the decision issued today by a Lithuanian court not to punish former Security Police operative Algimantas Dailide after it convicted him of actively participating in the persecution of innocent civilians – Jews and Poles – during the Holocaust.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center labeled the decision not to implement the verdict of 5 years imprisonment as one “which clearly shows that Lithuania is the safest haven in the world for a local Nazi war criminal and makes a mockery of the efforts to hold Nazi war criminals accountable.”

According to Zuroff:

“Once again Lithuania has proven that it is totally incapable of punishing its own Nazi war criminals. The Dailide case will now be added to those of Dailide's superiors in the Saugumas (Lithuanian Security Police) of the Vilnius district, Aleksandras Lileikis and Kazys Gimzauskas, who despite active participation in Nazi war crimes never sat a single minute in jail for their crimes, as unequivocal proof that Lithuania is totally incapable of honestly dealing with the complicity of its own nationals in the mass murder of Lithuanian Jewry. The reasons adduced for clemency in this case – his wife's health and his advanced age – ring utterly hollow in the case of a person who had no sympathy for his unfortunate victims.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Presents New Evidence on Atrocities at Arrow Cross Headquarters in Budapest

Melbourne – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today presented new evidence regarding the persecution, torture, and murder of Jews carried out at Arrow Cross headquarters in Budapest during the winter of 1944/1945 as part of its efforts to bring wartime fascist leader, and current Melbourne resident, Lajos Polgar to justice. At a press conference held at the Melbourne Holocaust Center , the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff presented Holocaust survivor Suzanne Nozick who, together with her mother, was tortured and raped at Arrow Cross headquarters, which were under the authority of Polgar who was a youth leader of the Hungarian fascist movement. After being tortured for several days, Mrs. Nozick and her mother were marched, along with other Jews who had been held at Arrow Cross headquarters, to the banks of the Danube River , where they were shot. Mrs. Nozick's mother was murdered, as were the others, while she miraculously survived.

Dr. Zuroff announced that he had already discussed the new evidence in the Polgar case with an official of the Australian Federal Police, and would be submitting the testimony as well as additional trial records to the Australian authorities within the coming two weeks.

According to Zuroff: “The irony of the case is that despite the mighty efforts of Polgar and his fellow Arrow Cross members to annihilate Hungarian Jewry, at least one of their intended victims has survived to tell the tale and found refuge in the same city as the person in charge of the site of her torture. We urge both the Hungarian and Australian authorities to make every effort to ensure that Lajos Polgar will be held accountable for these crimes.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Urges Australian Justice Minister and Attorney-General to Take Necessary Action to Prevent “Operation: Last Chance” Suspect Charles Zentai From Eluding Justice

Canberra – The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff met here today with Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison and Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock in order to discuss the latest developments in the pending extradition of “Operation: Last Chance” suspect Charles Zentai to Hungary to stand trial for his World War II crimes, which was recently postponed for approximately five weeks on the legal technicality of dubious validity. In the meetings, Zuroff raised his concern that Zentai's lawyers would seek any means available to prevent his extradition and effectively “abuse the legal system” to help him avoid being put on trial

Both Justice Minister Ellison and Attorney-General Ruddock clearly indicated that they would not allow the extradition to be prevented by unworthy delaying tactics. They assured Zuroff and Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Committee director Dr. Colin Rubenstein, who accompanied him to the meetings, that the government viewed the prosecution or extradition of war criminals as an important objective and would take whatever steps were necessary to see to it that justice was achieved within the framework of Australian law.

After the meetings, Zuroff expressed cautious optimism that Zentai would indeed be extradited, noting that such a trial would not only be the first successful legal action taken by Australia against a Nazi war criminal resident in the country, but would also be the first trial of a Hungarian Nazi war criminal in Hungary since that country became a democracy.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Urges Polish Government to seek Extradition From Austria of Unprosecuted Female Majdanek Guard Discovered in Framework of “Operation: Last Chance”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today appealed to the Polish Institute of National Memory to seek the extradition to Poland for trial of a female guard from the Majdanek death camp currently residing in Vienna, who was discovered by the Center in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance” project. The guard, Erna Wallisch, served in the Ravensbruck and Majdanek concentration camps during the years 1941-1944, but last week in Vienna Austrian Justice Minister Karin Gastinger officially informed the Center's chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, that Wallisch's crimes came under statute of limitations and she would therefore not be prosecuted.

In his meeting with Justice Minister Gastinger, Zuroff argued that Wallisch herself had admitted participation in the mass murder of inmates at Majdanek, and that a Polish survivor had testified that she was a sadist and had personally participated in selections, but the Austrian authorities claimed that they could take no legal action against her. Under these circumstances, Zuroff appealed to the Polish authorities based on Wallisch's admission of guilt and the fact that she had committed crimes in Poland and against Polish citizens, the responsibility for which was not limited in Poland by any statute. According to Zuroff, “It is unthinkable that a person who was part of the mass murder of at least thousands of innocent civilians should be protected by Austrian law, and we therefore urge the Polish authorities to try to achieve justice in this case.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced that it would match the reward of 130,000 euros (approximately $156,000) currently being offered by the German government for information which will lead to the arrest of escaped Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim. Heim, who is wanted for the murder by lethal injection of hundreds of inmates of the Mauthausen (Austria) concentration camp, is the number one target of the Center's “Operation: Last Chance” which offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the prosecution and punishment of Nazi war criminals. (Heim disappeared in 1962 just as the German government was about to prosecute him for his crimes.)

In meetings last week in Vienna , the Center's chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, urged Austrian Justice Minister Karin Gastinger and Interior Minister Liese Prokop to have the Austrian government announce a similar reward, which would bring the amount offered for Heim's capture alive to 400,000 euros or approximately $480,000. [130,000 euros from the German government; 130,000 euros from the Wiesenthal Center ; 130,000 from the Austrian government; and 10,000 from “Operation: Last Chance.”]

According to Zuroff, Minister Prokop indicated to him that the government could in theory announce such a reward and that she would present the proposal for consideration. Zuroff emphasized the urgency of the matter and the significance of the prosecution of Heim who “represented the Nazis' misuse and perversion of medicine.”

Zuroff added that a special task force for the capture of Dr. Heim, which had been established by the German police, was currently conducting an intensive manhunt in Spain and in South America, based on information received from informants to various sources, including the Wiesenthal Center .

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מרכז ויזנטל משווה את הפרס המוצע בעבור לכידת רופא נאצי נמלט לפרס שהוצע על ידי ממשלת גרמניה; מבקש מממשלת אוסטריה לפעול בדומה לכך

מרכז שמעון ויזנטל הודיע שהוא מציע פרס בסך 130,000 יורו (בערך 156,000$), בנוסף לפרס בסכום זהה שהוצע על ידי ממשלת גרמניה, בעבור קבלת מידע שיוביל ללכידתו של הפושע הנאצי הנמלט דר' אריברט היים Aribert Heim . היים, אשר מבוקש בגין הזרקת רעל לליבם של מאות אסירים במחנה הריכוז מאוטהאוזן, הוא היעד מספר אחד של פרוייקט "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" שמציע פרסים כספיים למוסרי מידע שיסייע בהעמדה לדין וענישה של פושעי מלחמה נאצים. (היים נעלם בשנת 1962 כאשר ממשלת גרמניה התכוננה להעמיד אותו לדין על פשעיו.)

בפגישות שקיים בשבוע שעבר בוינה צייד הנאצים דר' אפרים זורוף, מנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל, הוא ביקש משרת המשפטים האוסטרית קארין גאסטינגר ומשרת הפנים ליסה פרוקופ לפעול כדי שממשלת אוסטריה תציע פרס בסכום דומה, כך שסך סכום הפרס המוצע למטרת תפיסת היים יגיע ל-400,000 יורו שהם בערך 480,000$. [130,000 יורו מממשלת גרמניה; 130,000 יורו ממרכז ויזנטל; 130,000 מממשלת אוסטריה; 10,000 יורו מ"מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה."]

לדברי זורוף אמרה שרת הפנים פרוקופ שבאופן תיאורטי יכולה הממשלה להכריז על פרס כזה והיא תציג את ההצעה בפניה לשיקול דעת. זורוף הדגיש שהזמן דוחק ושיש משמעות סמלית להעמדת היים לדין כ"דוגמה לנאצי שניצל לרעה באופן חולני את הרפואה."

זורוף הוסיף שממשלת גרמניה הקימה כוח משימה מיוחד למטרת לכידת דר' היים וכעת מבצע כוח זה חיפוש אינטנסיבי בספרד ודרום אמריקה, בהתבססו על מידע שהתקבל ממקורות שונים, כולל מרכז שמעון ויזנטל.

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050

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  וינה – דר' אפרים זורוף, צייד הנאצים ומנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל , נפגש אתמול עם שרי המשפטים והפנים של ממשלת אוסטריה כדי ללחוץ על ממשלת אוסטריה לזרז את הטיפול בשלושה מקרים של פושעי מלחמה נאצים הקשורים לאוסטריה – רופא מחנה הריכוז מאוטהאוזן, דר' אריברט היים (Aribert Heim) , מפקד משטרת פוזגה (קרואטיה) מיליבוי אשנר ( Milivoj Ašner ) (חי כיום בקלאגנפורט), וארנה וואליש ( Erna Wallisch ) שומרת במחנה מאידנק (מתגוררת כעת בוינה).

שלושתם נחשפו במסגרת פרוייקט "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" שמציע פרס כספי בעבור מידע שיוליך להרשעה וענישה של מבצעי השואה.

בפגישתו עם שר המשפטים קארין גאסטינגר, לחץ זורוף על הסרה מהירה של המכשולים בחוק אשר מונעים כיום את העמדתו לדין של אסנר, אשר כבר הואשם בקרואטיה, מולדתו, שאף ביקשה את הסגרתו כדי להעמידו לדין בפוזגה. כמו כן מחה זורוף על החלטת אוסטריה שלא להעמיד לדין את וואליש, אשר הודתה בכך שהובילה יהודים לתאי-הגזים ושמרה עליהם לפני הרצחם.

בפגישתו עם שר הפנים ליסה פרוקופ ( Liese Prokop ), ביקש זורוף מממשלת אוסטריה להציע גם כן פרס של 130,000 יורו, השווה לפרס שמציעה ממשלת גרמניה, למי שימסור מידע שיסייע בתפיסתו של דר' אריברט היים שרצח כמה מאות אסירים בזריקות רעל ללבם בעת ששימש כרופא מחנה ההשמדה מאידנק.  

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050

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Vienna – The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met here over the course of the last twenty-four hours with the Austrian ministers of justice and the interior to press the government to expedite the cases of three Nazi war criminals linked to Austria – Mauthausen doctor Dr. Aribert Heim, Požega (Croatia) police chief Milivoj Ašner (currently living in Klagenfurt), and Majdanek guard Erna Wallisch (currently living in Vienna), all of which are part of the Center's “Operation: Last Chance” project which offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the prosecution and punishment of Holocaust perpetrators.

In his meeting with Justice Minister Karin Gastinger, Zuroff pressed for a speedy resolution of the legal obstacles, which have hereto prevented the prosecution of Ašner who has already been indicted in his native Croatia , which has also requested his extradition to stand trial in Pozega. He also protested the recent decision by the Austrians not to prosecute Wallisch who admitted her participation in leading Jews to be gassed at Majdanek and guarding them prior to their murder.

n his meeting with Interior Minister Liese Prokop, Zuroff urged the Austrian government to match the reward of 130,000 euros currently offered by the German government for information leading to the capture of Dr. Aribert Heim who murdered several hundred inmates with lethal injections to the heart during his service at the Mauthausen concentration camp.

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center today rejected the findings, announced late last week in Tallinn , of the Estonian government's investigation into the activities during World War II of suspected Nazi war criminal Harry Mannil, which cleared the resident of Caracas , Venezuela, of any criminal responsibility and closed his file. The Center, which years ago identified Mannil as a member of the Estonian Political Police, which actively participated in the persecution and murder of civilians in the Estonian capital in 1941, has been trying to facilitate his prosecution ever since he was discovered living in Venezuela in the wake of the investigation in 1992 of his superior Evald Mikson.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center reiterated its contention that Mannil should be held accountable for his role in the fate of Estonian civilians persecuted and murdered by the Nazis and their Estonian collaborators. The Center also termed “absolutely outrageous” the statement made last Friday by Estonian state prosecutor Heino Tonismagi who, according to the Estonian media, accused the Wiesenthal Center of purposely targeting Mannil (a multimillionaire philanthropist) since he was “one of the most outstanding Estonians,” and absolved the Estonian authorities of any crimes since the country was occupied at the time.

In response, Zuroff called the Estonian investigation of Mannil “a pathetic whitewash for political reasons of an active Nazi collaborator who thanks to the ineptitude and/or corruption of the Estonian prosecution will apparently never be held accountable for his crimes.” Zuroff noted that the prosecutor's totally baseless accusation that Mannil was purposely targeted by the Wiesenthal Center is the best proof that Estonia lacked the political will to prosecute a prominent Estonian and pointed out that Mannil is currently barred from entering the United States due to his wartime activities. It is obvious that Estonia , which has hereto failed to convict a single local Nazi war criminal since it regained its independence, still lacks the political courage to face the practical implications of the active complicity of its nationals in Holocaust crimes.” Said Zuroff.

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The statement was issued in Jerusalem by the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, in the wake of media reports that Ašner, who was exposed in the framework of the Center's “Operation: Last Chance” project thanks to the research of Alen Budaj, was seeking the return of his property in Croatia.

“At this point, the most important thing as far as justice is concerned, is that Ašner, who shares responsibility for the persecution, and deportation to concentration camps where they were murdered, of hundreds of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies from Požega be held accountable for his crimes. His attempts to obtain his property while he refuses to face Croatian justice is the height of hypocrisy,” said Zuroff.

Background

Milivoj Ašner, who served as police chief of the city of Požega during the years 1941-1942, was indicted two months ago in Croatia for the crimes he committed during World War II, but has not yet been brought to trial since he is currently residing in Klagenfurt, Austria and the Austrian government refuses to extradite him since he is an Austrian citizen.

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According to Zuroff, the Center had received the names of approximately 50 German suspects since “Operation: Last Chance” was launched in Germany on January 26, 2005 at a press conference held at the Bundestag. An examination of the information submitted to the Center, yielded four cases with serious potential for prosecution, in two of which the initial information was submitted by female family members. Of the four suspects in question, two allegedly served in concentration camps and two allegedly participated in the mass murder of civilians in Eastern Europe.

“The fact that four cases are being submitted to the Zentrale Stelle is an important indication of the success of “Operation: Last Chance” in Germany and, we hope, only the beginning of the achievement of significant results. The information received from family members is precisely what we hoped for when the project was launched,” said Zuroff.

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In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter , Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center called upon the Austrian authorities to honor the memory of the late Simon Wiesenthal by finally bringing this Nazi war criminal to justice, either by acceding to the Croatian extradition request or by prosecuting him in Austria . He noted that Austria has failed to successfully prosecute a single Holocaust perpetrator in the past thirty years and urged the Austrian justice officials to expedite the case so that justice could finally be achieved.

According to Zuroff:
“The time has come to translate all the words of praise for Mr.Wiesenthal and his quest for justice into practical judicial action. To do otherwise, would turn the glowing praise showered upon him this week into meaningless clichés devoid of any significance.”

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In a letter sent today to Austrian Justice Minister Karin Gastinger, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff urged the Austrian government to do its share in the renewed efforts currently being made by the German authorities to track down Heim, who is listed by the Wiesenthal Center as the second most wanted unprosecuted Nazi war criminal alive today (after Eichmann's top assistant Alois Brunner).

In Zuroff's words:

"Given that Heim was born in Austria, studied medicine at the University of Vienna, and committed his crimes in Mauthausen, I believe that the active involvement of your government in the efforts to bring this Nazi war criminal to justice would be entirely justified and I therefore respectfully suggest that the Austrian authorities match the reward being offered by the German government for information leading to his capture.

"Even at this late date, it is still possible to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and we therefore urge your active involvement in the efforts to do so."

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Aribert Heim served as a doctor at Buchenwald , Sachsenhausen, and Mauthausen concentration camps and is wanted for his role in the murder of numerous camp inmates. After World War II, he worked as a doctor in Baden-Baden, Germany and escaped in 1962, after an indictment was filed against him and he was about to be arrested. At the current time, both Germany and Austria have warrants outstanding for his arrest and there is a prize of 140,000 euros for information which will lead to his capture.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, noted that there is strong evidence that Heim is still alive and called for a maximum effort to bring him to justice. “While it is true that canceling his medical degree is primarily a symbolic step, it hopefully will help focus public attention on his case and increase the chances of his apprehension while he can still be brought to justice.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

In a statement issued by Zuroff today in Jerusalem , the Center expressed its deep satisfaction with the decision of Justice Minister Ellison and urged the Australian authorities to expedite the extradition process so that justice in the Zentai case could finally be achieved. Zuroff also cautioned that Zentai might attempt to prevent his extradition by exaggerating existent health issues and/or creating imaginary ailments, as have other suspected Nazi war criminals facing extradition and prosecution for their crimes.

According to Zuroff: “Today's decision moves us another step closer to achieving justice and is a powerful reminder that Nazi war criminals can still be held accountable for their crimes. His extradition to stand trial in Budapest will constitute the first successful legal action taken in Australia against a Holocaust perpetrator and we look forward to that taking place as quickly as possible.”

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In the course of their meeting, President Mesic expressed unqualified support for the prosecution of Croatian Nazi war criminals and stressed several times that the fact that they are elderly in no way diminishes the necessity of bringing them to justice. He also shared the concern expressed by Dr. Zuroff that more than a year had passed since the Center exposed Ašner, and yet he still had not been indicted by the Croatian judicial authorities. This concern was the subject of the meeting between Dr. Zuroff and Attorney-General Bajic, who reviewed the steps already taken by the Croatian prosecutors and expressed his confidence that Ašner would be charged in early fall 2005.

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In a press conference held today at the Požega municipality, Zuroff reiterated the Center's call for the immediate prosecution of Milivoj Ašner, currently in Klagenfurt, Austria, noting that more than a year had passed since he had submitted the evidence (received from researcher Alen Budaj) to Croatian Attorney-General Mladen Bajic, following the launching in Croatia on June 30, 2004 of “Operation: Last Chance”. He also called for immediate steps to stop the ongoing vandalization and desecration of the Požega Jewish cemetery, which had no gate, fence or protection of any sort.

Mayor Ronko condemned the crimes committed against innocent civilians in Požega and called for the prosecution of those guilty. He claimed that plans had been prepared for the preservation of the Požega Jewish cemetery, but pointed to bureaucratic difficulties, which had prevented their implementation. He noted with satisfaction that plaques marking the locations of the town's three pre-World War II synagogues would soon be in place.

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In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff expressed his fullest confidence in the documents presented by Alen Budaj which unequivocally prove Asner's complicity in the persecution and deportation to concentration camps of hundreds of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies from the Croatian city of Slavonska Pozega, many of whom were murdered by the Ustasha (Croatian fascists).

According to Zuroff:
“It is utterly ridiculous that Alen Budaj, who has done Croatia an enormous service by researching and proving the wartime crimes of Ustasha war criminal Milivoj Asner, finds himself accused and on trial, when almost an entire year has passed since the Wiesenthal Center exposed Asner in the framework of “Operation: Last Chance,” and he has still not been indicted, let alone extradited from Austria, to which he fled last year following his exposure. We urge the Croatian authorities to finally charge Asner with war crimes and take all the necessary legal measures immediately to ensure that he will be held accountable for his crimes.”

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הדו"ח השנתי החמישי של מרכז שמעון ויזנטל על מצב החקירות וההרשעות של פושעי מלחמה נאצים ברחבי העולם (המתייחס לתקופה שבין 1 באפריל 2004 ל-31 במרץ 2005) מורה על ההצלחה הנמשכת של ארה"ב בהעמדה לדין של פושעי שואה במהלך השנה האחרונה ועל הפוטנציאל המפתיע להרשעות נוספות עם פתיחת 659 חקירות חדשות באחת-עשרה ארצות בשנים-עשר החודשים האחרונים (עלייה של 97% מהשנה שעברה) כך שמספר המקרים הנחקרים עתה(ב-15 מדינות) מגיע ל-1,218 (עליה של 30% ביחס התקופה המקבילה אשתקד).     more...

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In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff and Targum Shlishi’s founder and director Aryeh Rubin, the two organizations called upon Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison and the Australian judicial authorities to ensure that the extradition process would proceed as quickly as possible within the framework of the law and the existent extradition treaty between the two countries.

According to Zuroff and Rubin: ”The passage of time in no way diminishes the severity of the crimes committed during the Holocaust and the importance of holding the perpetrators of those crimes accountable. The extradition request submitted by Hungary creates an excellent opportunity for Australia to take successful legal action for the first time against a Nazi war criminal who, based on false or incomplete information, was able to illegally gain entry to Australia. Hungary has hereto taken all the necessary steps to achieve justice in this case, and now it is Australia’s obligation to do its share to help complete the process.”

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Dr. Zuroff also presented the initial results of “Operation: Last Chance” in Poland, where the Center has already received the names of twenty individuals alleged to have committed crimes against Jews during the Holocaust. Many of the cases involve Poles who are alleged to have murdered, or handed over to the Nazis, Jews who were in hiding in Poland, in some cases after promising to provide them with shelter in return for financial compensation.

According to Zuroff, researching Holocaust crimes by Poles is particularly difficult since, unlike the situation in the Baltics for example, the Nazis did not create Polish police units which they incorporated in the implementation of the Final Solution, and thus the crimes committed by Poles were invariably carried out by individuals acting on their own initiative, which makes them much harder to document and verify.

“ Operation: Last Chance (Ostatnia Szansa)” infoline in Poland:(022)498-1507

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Asner, the police chief of Slavonska Požega, who played an active role in the persecution of hundreds of Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies and their deportation to Ustasha concentration camps where they were murdered, was discovered this past summer in the framework of “Operation: Last Chance.” The case of Ivo Rojnica, the Ustasha governor of Dubrovnik, which was also submitted by the Wiesenthal Center, is still under investigation several years after its submission.

President Mesic stated unequivocally that the prosecution of these cases is of the utmost importance, especially in view of the age of the defendants. He also noted their importance in terms of educating the public about the horrors of the Holocaust, and promised Dr. Zuroff to update him as soon as possible regarding the imminent decision of the Croatian Attorney-General on the indictment of Asner, which would then be followed by a request for his extradition from Austria. (Following his exposure by the Wiesenthal Center on June 30, 2004. Asner fled to Klagenfurt, Austria, where he currently resides.)

Zuroff thanked President Mesic’ for his unflinching support for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals and congratulated him on his recent reelection.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center expressed its satisfaction with the latest development in the case, which it had initiated following receipt in the framework of “Operation: Last Chance” of evidence regarding Zentai’s involvement in Holocaust crimes.

“Hungary has taken the requisite first step today toward bringing this suspected murderer to justice and we are hopeful that he will finally be held accountable for his crimes, preferably in Hungary where they were committed. We congratulate the Hungarian judicial authorities and military prosecutor for their prompt action to date, and urge them to take whatever steps are necessary to expedite the process of extradition and prosecution. The fact that Zentai has hereto eluded justice for so many years, in no way diminishes his culpability and should not be a factor in this case,” said Zuroff.

“Operation: Last Chance” was launched in Romania in September 2003. During the past year and a half, approximately one hundred persons called the project’s hotline in Bucharest (021-322-9554) and concrete information was received regarding fifteen specific suspects.

According to the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who also coordinates “Operation: Last Chance,” since Romania became a democracy more than fifteen years ago, not a single Romanian resident has ever been prosecuted for Nazi war crimes, which makes this list of suspects of unique importance. “Despite the participation of numerous Romanians in the murder of Jews both in Romania and outside her borders, the authorities of democratic Romania have hereto never initiated any attempt to find and bring to justice unprosecuted Holocaust perpetrators. That is why “Operation: Last Chance” was launched in Romania and the submission of this list clearly indicates the need for more extensive investigations by the government,” said Zuroff.

“We welcome this step by the Hungarian military prosecutor,” said the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff who met earlier this month in Budapest with military prosecutor Ference Nemesz and other Hungarian Justice Ministry officials to submit a list of potential witnesses in the Zentai case and offer the Center’s assistance in the investigation.

Zuroff expressed cautious optimism that Zentai would finally be held accountable for his crimes and noted that the Center preferred that he be tried in Budapest, the site of his crimes, rather than in Australia. “A trial in Hungary, where the alleged crimes were committed by Zentai, who served at that time in the Hungarian Army, would have far greater significance in public terms than if he were tried in Australia. In this regard, the educational and social dimensions of such a legal process should not be underestimated,” said Zuroff.

In a press conference held here today, the Center’ chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff revealed the new number (06) 205-500-142 and issued a call to the Hungarian public to submit all pertinent information and especially details regarding its number one Hungarian suspect Karoly (Charles) Zentai, a Hungarian army officer who is accused of the murder of at least one Jewish teenager in Budapest in November 1944 and of the persecution and torture of numerous additional Jews kidnapped by Zentai and two fellow army officers who were tried for their crimes after World War II. Zentai escaped from Hungary and was tracked down by the Center in Perth Australia, where he has been living since 1950.

Zuroff, who met with officials of the Hungarian Justice Ministry yesterday regarding the case, expressed his hope that Zentai would be tried in Hungary as quickly as possible, in accordance with the Wiesenthal Center’s preference that Nazi war criminals be brought to justice in the country in which they committed their crimes or in their country of origin.

Zuroff met with Dr. Laszlo Lang, director of the Department for the Supervision of Investigations; Military Prosecutor Ferenc Nemesz; Dr.Eva Kis; and Dr. Katalin Veres and urged them to expedite the investigation in order to ensure that justice will be achieved. He also offered the Center’s assistance in examining the case and submitted a list of eleven potential witnesses.

Zuroff also noted that it is already clear from the available documentation and witness testimony, that Zentai was involved in additional crimes against Jews in Budapest in 1944 besides the murder of Peter Balazs.

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The press conference was hosted by German MP Prof. Dr. Gert Weisskirchen, spokesperson for foreign affairs for the ruling Social Democratic Party, and featured speeches by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff and Targum Shlishi Foundation founder and president Aryeh Rubin, as well as by Prof. Weisskirchen and German activist against anti-Semitism Jörg Rensmann.

In his remarks, Dr. Zuroff highlighted the importance of bringing those guilty of the crimes of the Holocaust to justice and stressed that it was still possible to do so today despite the passage of many years since the crimes were committed. ”The fact that a Nazi war criminal eluded justice for 40 or 50 years does not turn that person into a Righteous Gentile”, said Zuroff.

Aryeh Rubin noted the responsibility of Germany to bring the killers to justice. ”This is not about guilt”, he noted, ”but rather about accountability.”

Prof. Weisskirchen and Jörg Rensmann also called upon Germans to own up to their responsibility and to help achieve justice and thereby honor memory and assist in the fight against contemporary anti-Semitism.

The project is assisted in Germany by “Honestly-Concerned”, an NGO active in the struggle against anti-Semitism in the German-speaking world.

The hotline number in Germany is (030)695 695 54.

The launch is also marked by the appearance of a website dedicated to the project: www.operationlastchance.org
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Participating in the press conference will be

The Simon Wiesenthal Center 's Annual Status Report on the worldwide investigation and prosecution of Nazi war criminals has singled out Romania for special criticism for its failure to take practical measures to investigate Nazi war criminals and its refusal to cancel the pardons issued to convicted Romanian Holocaust perpetrators Gheorghe Petrescu and Radu Dinelescu.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who is the author of the report, the Center clarified that it was extremely distressed by the total lack of initiative exhibited by the Romanian judicial authorities in bringing local Nazi war criminals to justice and was particularly disappointed by the refusal of the same authorities to accede to the Wiesenthal Center's appeal-submitted in early January 2004 to Attorney-General Dr.Ilie Botos-to cancel the pardons granted several years previously to convicted Nazi war criminals Colonel Gheorghe Petrescu and Colonel Radu Dinulescu.

According to Zuroff:
“Ever since democracy was restored in Romania , there has not been a single initiative to investigate, let alone prosecute, any of the numerous unprosecuted Romanians who actively participated in the crimes of the Holocaust. On the contrary, war criminals like Petrescu and Dinulescu who had been justifiably convicted for the critical role they played in the mass murder of Jews in Bessarabia and Bukovina during the summer and fall of 1941, were inexplicably granted pardons, which the government has refused to cancel. This lack of initiative to bring those guilty of Holocaust crimes to justice is of particular concern, as the Wiesenthal Center prepares to submit the names of the suspected Romanian criminals which it has obtained in the framework of “Operation: Last Chance,” to the pertinent Romanian authorities with a call for their immediate investigation and, if possible, legal action.”

For additional information please call:972-2-563-1273 or 972-51-214-156.

Zuroff received an update on four of the five murder investigations already initiated by Lithuanian prosecutors in the wake of information received in” Operation: Last Chance.” So far there are at least 24 suspects involved.

Zuroff called for participation by Lithuanian NGO's in identifying local Nazi war criminals and documenting their crimes and suggested that the Wiesenthal Center would consider helping to fund such activities from “Operation: Last Chance” funds if it would facilitate prosecution and punishment of local murderers, not a single one of whom has been punished since Lithuania regained its independence in 1991.

During the past ten days Dr. Zuroff met personally with Austrian Justice Minister Dieter Bőhmdorfer, Romanian Prosecutor-General Dr. Ilie Botos, and Prof. Dr. Leon Kieres, director of the Institute of National Memory , which is responsible for the prosecution of Holocaust crimes in Poland , and urged these officials to give highest priority to the cases of Nazi war criminals.

According to Zuroff:

“Given the fact that those who committed the crimes of the Holocaust can only be prosecuted for another few years, it is particularly important that those countries with such suspects give these cases the highest possible priority. This problem is particularly acute in Austria, where despite the existence of numerous suspects, not a single Nazi war criminal has been convicted in over thirty years, and in Romania, which has failed to initiate a single investigation of a Holocaust perpetrator since it became a democracy, despite the active participation of numerous Romanians in the implementation of the Final Solution.”

Dr. Zuroff will be conducting a press conference on Friday, September 12 at a time and place to be announced.

He can be reached starting Thursday afternoon, September 11 at the Lido Hotel in Bucharest. Tel: 314-4930 or at 972-51-214-156. ________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Zuroff will be conducting a press conference on Wednesday, September 10 at a time and place to be announced.

He can be reached starting mid-day Tuesday, September 9 at the Radisson Centrum Hotel in Warsaw, tel: 321-8888 or at 972-51-214-156.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by Israel director and project coordinator Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted with satisfaction that the names of ten suspects had already been submitted to Chief Prosecutor Janis Osis of the Division of Investigation of Crimes of Totalitarian Regimes for formal investigation and that the Center was looking forward to the opening of official investigations against at least several of the suspects. Four of the suspects were living abroad – in Canada, the United States, and Sweden.

According to Zuroff:
“During its initial year, “Operation: Last Chance” has clearly proven its significance by providing prosecutors in Latvia (and Lithuania ) with an opportunity to bring to justice Holocaust perpetrators whose whereabouts and crimes were unknown to local prosecutors. In addition, the names submitted to the Wiesenthal Center constitute on important addition to our knowledge of the identities of the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

“We are hopeful that the Latvian authorities will succeed in bringing as many as possible of the suspects to trial and that justice will finally be achieved in these cases.

“We again call upon the public to come forward with any information known to them regarding the identity of unprosecuted Nazi murderers currently alive anywhere in the world.”

To date, the Center has not paid any financial rewards to informants in Latvia but will do so as soon as there is an official murder investigation against any suspect healthy enough to stand trial.

For more information call: 972-51-214156
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In a statement issued in Jerusalem by Israel director and project coordinator Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted with satisfaction that the names of thirty two suspects had already been submitted to Chief Prosecutor Rimvydas Valentukevicius of the Special Investigations Division of the Lithuanian Procurator-General for formal investigation and that the Center was looking forward to the opening of additional official investigations against at least several of the suspects.

According to Zuroff:
“The results achieved during the first year of “Operation: Last Chance” in Lithuania are the best proof of the significance of this project. Most of the names submitted to us were unknown and they constitute an important addition to our knowledge of the identity of the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

”Two official murder investigations – regarding the murder of Jews in Seirijai and Rokiskis – have already been opened by the Lithuanian authorities and we look forward to the opening of additional murder investigations in the near future based on the information from “Operation: Last Chance” which we have submitted to Chief Prosecutor Valentukevicius in recent weeks.

“We again call upon the public to come forward with any information known to them regarding the identity of unprosecuted Nazi murderers currently alive anywhere in the world.”

To date, the Center has not paid any financial rewards to informants in Lithuania but will do so as soon as there is an official murder investigation against any suspect healthy enough to stand trial.

or more information call: 972-51-214156
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The ad, bears the heading “This is about your Jewish neighbors…the ones who were murdered nearby” and presents the Center's offer of a financial reward for the submission of information which will lead to the conviction and punishment of Nazi war criminals. It also shows a historic photograph of two Jewish women (one of whom is naked-seen from the back) being led away to be executed in Liepaja by a local Nazi collaborator.

In a letter sent today to the Latvian ambassador to Israel Janis Lovniks, the Center's Israel director and chief Nazi-hunter, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who directs “Operation: Last Chance,” condemned the decision of the Liepaja-based newspaper and urged the Latvian authorities to encourage its editor to change his mind regarding this matter. According to Zuroff:

“Such a decision only reinforces the sense that there are still those in Latvian society who are in deep denial regarding the fact that Latvians actively participated in the murder of Jews both in Latvia and in other countries during the Holocaust. I urge you to convey the Center's condemnation of this policy to the pertinent Latvian authorities and hope that they will encourage Kurzemes Vards to change its decision in this regard.”

For more information call: 972-51-214156 ________________________________________________________________________________

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who directs ”Operation:Last Chance” called the decision “totally outrageous,” and “a sad reflection on the inability of far too many Estonians to accept the sad reality of the complicity of some of their nationals in the crimes of the Holocaust.” Zuroff added that he viewed the position adopted by the Security Police Board as particularly problematic in view of the fact that it was the agency entrusted with the investigation and prosecution of Estonian Nazi war criminals. “The Security Police Board has once again shown very clearly that they consider their primary task to be the preservation of the good name of the Estonian people rather than the prosecution of local Nazi war criminals. Given the fact that the International Historians Commission established by President Lennart Meri has confirmed that Estonian police participated in the murder of Jews in Belarus in 1942 and that the Center has found additional evidence to confirm that fact, we stand 100% behind the assertion in the ad. Under the current circumstances, one can only wonder whether an Estonian Nazi war criminal can actually ever be convicted-regardless of the severity of his crimes-in Estonia,” said Zuroff.

For more information please contact :972-51-214-156