The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced today that it had submitted the names
of four suspected Romanian Nazi war criminals which were
discovered in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance”
project to Attorney-General Dr. Ilie Botos with a request
that the Romanian authorities carry out investigations of
these cases with a view to possible prosecution. The suspects
are alleged to have actively participated in the persecution
and murder of Jews in several places in Romania among them
Iasi, Dorohoi and Bucharest.
“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.
For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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