| During World War II Romania was a satellite state of Nazi Germany and actively
participated in the implementation of the Final Solution in
Romania and in the territories it annexed, as well as in the
Ukraine. In fact, the Romanian government under Marshal Ion
Antonescu played a leading role in the mass murder of Romanian
Jews, and tens of thousands of Jews in the Ukraine.
Despite the active complicity of Romanians in the crimes of the Holocaust, Romania
has had considerable difficulty in facing its World War II
past, as clearly evidenced by the following facts:
| 1. |
Not a single Holocaust perpetrator has been investigated, let alone prosecuted,
in post-Communist Romania |
| 2. |
The lack of a special unit to investigate and prosecute such cases; |
| 3. |
The numerous instances of the commemoration and glorification of fascist Romanian
leader Marshal Antonescu who committed terrible crimes
against civilians, primarily Jews, during his rule as
leader of Romania during World War II; |
| 4. |
Recent comments by prominent Romanian leaders and officials, including President
Ion Iliescu, minimizing the severity and scope of the
crimes of the Holocaust and the complicity of Romanians
in these crimes. |
Under these circumstances, the Wiesenthal Center believes that the implementation
of “Operation: Last Chance” in Romania can have a beneficial
effect both in terms of facilitating the prosecution of Holocaust
perpetrators and the sensitizing of Romanian public opinion
regarding the severity of the crimes committed by Romanians
during World War II.
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