Wiesenthal Center Calls for International Experts to Assess Health of
Nazi War Criminal Milivoj Ašner

Vienna – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today called for a panel of international medical experts to assess the health of hereto unprosecuted, escaped Croatian Nazi war criminal Milivoj Ašner, presently living in Klagenfurt, Austria to which he fled following his exposure by the Center in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance” project. In a meeting here today with Austrian Justice Minister Dr. Maria Berger, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff noted that recent photos, videos, and interviews of Ašner by journalists from the British daily The Sun clearly disprove the results of court-appointed Austrian doctors who claimed that Ašner was suffering from dementia and was too ill to be extradited to Croatia to stand trial for his crimes as police chief of Požega. Zuroff submitted an affadavit from Sun journalist Brian Flynn who interviewed Ašner for 45 minutes and found him to be “lucid throughout the interview and that he did not forget any facts such as what he had done in the war.”

According to Zuroff:
“Austria’s handling of the Ašner case has been severely flawed from the very beginning and therefore the request that special measures be taken to assess Ašner‘s health objectively are entirely justified. His tranquil life in Klagenfurt, protected by the Austrian legal system, is an insult to his many victims and their families.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Urges Immediate Extradition of Wanted Nazi Revealed in Good Health in Austria

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged Austria to immediately extradite wanted Croatian Nazi war criminal Milivoj Ašner, who has been living in Klagenfurt since shortly after his exposure by the Wiesenthal Center as part of its “Operation: Last Chance” project on June 30, 2004. Ašner, who served as the Ustasha police chief of Požega during World War II and orchestrated the destruction of the local Serb, Jewish and Gypsy communities, is wanted for war crimes in his native Croatia but his extradition has hereto been blocked by the Austrian authorities on medical grounds. more...
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מרכז ויזנטל: גרירת-הרגלים של אוסטריה בהעמדה לדין של ארנה וואליש, שהייתה זקיפה במחנה מאיידנק, אפשר לה בסופו של דבר לחמוק מהצדק למרות שהתיק בעניינה נפתח לאחרונה שנית

והתגוררה בוינה עד לשבת האחרונה, הצליחה לחמוק מהעמדה לדין בגין פשעיה בתקופת השואה עקב מותה בבית חולים בבירה האוסטרית.

בהודעה שהוציא דר' אפרים זורוף, צייד הנאצים ומנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל נאמר שמות וואליש מנע ממנה לעמוד לדין לאחר שממש לאחרונה גברה האפשרות לכך , עקב ההתפתחות החדשה ששלטונות פולין איתרו חמש ניצולות ממחנה המוות מאיידנק שראו במו עיניהן פשעים שביצעה שם וואליש. (עדויות אלה הובילו להחלטת רשויות אוסטריה מהעת האחרונה לפתוח מחדש את תיקה של וואליש.)

לדברי זורוף:

"ארנה וואליש ומשפחתה צריכים להודות לכל ממשלות אוסטריה לדורותיהן על גרירת הרגליים המתמשכת לגבי העמדתה לדין ועל העובדה שהיא לא נענשה מעולם על פשעיה במאיידנק ובמחנה הריכוז ראבנסברוק. העובדה שאישה זו, אשר הודתה בהובלת אנשים לתאי הגזים ובשמירה עליהם לבל יברחו, לא הועמדה מעולם לדין בגין פשעיה האכזריים, היא אות קלון לאוסטריה והוכחה ניצחת לחוסר הרצון הפוליטי המתמשך בוינה להעמיד פושעי מלחמה נאצים לדין. מותה חייב לשמש תזכורת לכל הממשלות אשר דנות בתיקים של פושעים נאצים שיש לזרז את העמדתם לדין כדי לא להחמיץ את האפשרות לעשיית דין צדק."

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050

WIESENTHAL CENTER: ÖSTERREICHS JAHRZEHNTELANGES VERSAGEN BEI DER STRAFVERFOLGUNG VON NS-VERBRECHERN ERMÖGLICHTE ES DER KZ-AUFSEHERIN ERNA WALLISCH, DER GERECHTIGKEIT ZU ENTKOMMEN, TROTZ DER WIEDERAUFNAHME IHRES VERFAHRENS

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center Center hat heute tiefes Bedauern darüber zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass der Aufseherin des KZ Majdanek, Erna Wallisch, die bis letzten Samstag in Wien wohnte, eine Anklage wegen ihrer Holocaust-Verbrechen durch ihren Tod in einem Krankenhaus erspart geblieben ist. In einer Stellungnahme hat der Nazi-Jäger und Chef des Wiesenthal Büros in Jerusalem, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, heute festgestellt, dass der Tod sie vor einem möglichen Gerichtsverfahren bewahrt hat. Ein solches Verfahren sei kürzlich immer wahrscheinlicher geworden, nachdem polnische Behörden fünf Zeuginnen ausfindig gemacht hatten, die als Majdanek-Überlebende über Verbrechen der Wallisch ausgesagt hatten. Diese Zeugenaussagen hatten letztlich Österreich dazu bewogen, das Verfahren gegen Wallisch wieder aufzunehmen.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff: „Erna Wallisch und ihre Familie können sich bei den früheren österreichischen Regierungen dafür bedanken, dass sie durch jahrzehntelanges Versagen der ehemaligen Aufseherin dazu verholfen haben, dass sie nie für ihre Rolle im Vernichtungslager Majdanek und im KZ Ravensbrück bestraft wurde. Die Tatsache, dass eine Frau, die selbst gestanden hatte, Menschen auf dem Weg zur Gaskammer begleitet und sie dabei bewacht zu haben, nie für ihre grausamen Verbrechen zur Rechenschaft gezogen wurde, ist ein Schandmal für Österreich und ein starker Beweis für den über Jahrzehnte hinweg fehlenden politischen Willen, österreichische NS-Täter zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen. Ihr Tod sollte allen Regierungen, die noch mit der Verfolgung von NS-Verbrechern zu tun haben, in Erinnerung rufen, dass sie alles dafür tun müssen, diese Verbrecher vor Gericht zu stellen, so lange es noch möglich ist.“

Das Wiesenthal Center hatte im Mai 2004 bei der Operation Last Chance erstmals Hinweise auf die KZ-Aufseherin Wallisch erhalten und ihren Fall aufgedeckt.

Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156

Wiesenthal Center: Austria’s Decades-Long Failure to Prosecute Majdanek Guard Erna Wallisch Ultimately Allowed Her to Escape Justice Despite Recent Re-Opening of Her Case

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today expressed deep regret that Majdanek guard Erna Wallisch, until last Saturday a resident of Vienna, was spared prosecution for her Holocaust crimes in the wake of her death in a hospital in the Austrian capital. In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that Wallisch’s death had prevented her from facing prosecution, which recently became a strong possibility in the wake of the discovery by the Polish authorities of five women who had survived the Majdanek death camp and had witnessed crimes committed by Wallisch. (These testimonies led to the recent decision the Austrian authorities to reopen the Wallisch case.)

According to Zuroff:

“Erna Wallisch and her family can thank the decades-long failure of successive Austrian governments for the fact that she ultimately was never punished for her role at the Majdanek death camp and Ravenbruck concentration camp. The fact that a woman who admitted taking people to be gassed and guarding them so that they could not escape was never held accountable for her heinous crimes is a badge of shame for Austria and stark proof of the decades-long lack of political will in Vienna to bring Austrian Holocaust perpetrators to justice. Her death should serve as a reminder to all the governments which are dealing with the cases of Nazi war criminals that they had best expedite these prosecutions while justice can still be achieved.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance. org www.wiesenthal.com

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Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian Justice Minister to Expedite Re-Opened
Case of Majdanek Guard

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged Austrian Justice Minister Dr. Maria Berger to expedite the case of Majdanek guard Erna Wallisch, which was recently reopened by the Austrian authorities, in order to ensure that she be held accountable for her crimes at the Nazi death camp on the outskirts of Lublin. In a letter sent today from Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted the urgency of the situation due to Wallisch’s age (85) and emphasized the importance of such prosecutions despite the decades that have passed since the crimes were committed.

According to Zuroff:

“The new evidence and witnesses uncovered by the Poles have created an unforeseen opportunity to achieve justice in this case and I therefore urge you to do everything possible to expedite the investigation in Vienna so that justice can be achieved. In this respect, it is important to remember that the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrators and that murderers do not deserve any consideration just because of longevity.

“Austria’s absolute failure during the past three decades to prosecute Nazi war criminals is well-known, but one of the first steps you took was to add 50,000 euros to the reward for information on escaped Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim. We hope that you will continue to distinguish yourself from your predecessors by actively expediting the Wallisch case so that she will not be allowed to elude justice.

“People like Erna Wallisch do not deserve any sympathy. The fact that they have not previously been convicted is a travesty of justice which can now be corrected. Doing so, will send a very powerful message that Austria has finally ceased to be a haven for the perpetrators of the Holocaust.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance. org www.wiesenthal.com

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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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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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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

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 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:

For more information please contact: 972-51-214-156
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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 Welcomes Opening of Investigation by Austrian Authorities of the Display of Fascist Ustasha Symbols at Recent Bleiburg Gathering

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 please contact: 972-51-214-156
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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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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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WIESENTHAL CENTER RENEWS CALL FOR RESIGNATION OF TYROL GOVERNOR VAN STAA IN RESPONSE TO HIS FALSIFICATION OF THE NAZI PAST OF FORMER INNSBRUCK DEPUTY MAYOR OBENFELDNER

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today renewed its call for the resignation of Tyrol governor Herwig Van Staa in the wake of his attempts yesterday to falsify the Nazi past of former Innsbruck deputy mayor Ferdinand Obenfeldner. (Late last week, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff had called for Van Staa’s resignation following revelations that he and other local political leaders had celebrated Obenfeldner 90th birthday despite his wartime past as a Gestapo operative in Innsbruck.)

According to press reports, Van Staa yesterday defended his links to the former deputy mayor by claiming that Obenfeldner had “never served in the Gestapo or lied regarding his biography,” in total contradiction to all available historical documentation. Zuroff called Van Staa’s statements, as reported by the Austrian media, “absolutely shocking and incomprehensible,” and sufficient basis for his immediate resignation.

According to Zuroff:
“Perhaps in Austria, which continues to this day to serve as a haven for Nazi war criminals such as Milivoj Ašner and Erna Wallisch, it is acceptable practice for political leaders to cover up the Nazi past of their colleagues, but we find such behavior exceptionally reprehensible. Van Staa’s fabrications cannot erase the fact that Obenfeldner was a Gestapo operative who took part in the anti-Jewish operation in Innsbruck on Kristallnacht, that he was a member of the SS, and served in a Wehrmacht unit which participated in heinous war crimes in Greece and Italy. If Van Staa thinks that such a record is praiseworthy, he obviously does not deserve to wield political power.”

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

WIESENTHAL CENTER CALLS FOR RESIGNATION OF TYROL GOVERNOR, INNSBRUCK MAYOR, AND AND SPO PARTY LEADERS IN WAKE OF HONORS THEY BESTOWED ON FORMER GESTAPO OPERATIVE AND INNSBRUCK DEPUTY MAYOR FERDINAND OBENFELDNER

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 _________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Urges Croatia To Press Austria Harder for Extradition of Escaped Nazi Police Chief Ašner

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 _________________________________________________________________________

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

 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.

Serbian Foreign Minister Drašković Expresses Support for Wiesenthal Center Initiative to Encourage Serbia to Seek Extradition of Three Nazi War Criminals

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.

The criminals under discussion are:

Zuroff welcomed the support of Foreign Minister Drašković and said that a proactive stance by the Serbian government might ultimately make the difference whether or not these Nazi criminals would finally be brought to justice.

All three cases have been the focus of intensive recent efforts by the Wiesenthal Center, with the latter two having been discovered by the Center in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance” project which offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the prosecution and punishment of Holocaust perpetrators.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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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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מרכז שמעון ויזנטל לוחץ על שרים בממשלת אוסטריה לזרז את הטיפול בשלושה מקרים של "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה"

  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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Wiesenthal Center Presses Austrian Ministers To Expedite Three “Operation: Last Chance” Cases!

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.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center to Croatian Authorities:
Ašner's Property is Not the Issue; Bring Him to Justice!

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.

Wiesenthal Center Calls Upon Austrian Authorities to Honor Memory of Simon Wiesenthal by Acceding to Croatian Extradition Request for Nazi War Criminal “Operation:Last Chance” Suspect Milivoj Asner, Currently Residing in Klagenfurt , or by Prosecuting Him in Austria

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.”

Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian Government to Match Reward Offered by Germany for Capture of Escaped Nazi War Criminal Dr. Aribert Heim of Mauthausen

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."

Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian Health Minister To Cancel Medical Degree Of Escaped Nazi War Criminal Dr. Aribert Heim

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.”

Wiesenthal Center Calls Upon Austrian Authorities to Take Legal Action Against Croatian Nazi War Criminal Living in Klagenfurt

In a letter sent today to Austrian ambassador to Israel Dr. Kurt Hengl, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff noted that Asner’s presence in Klagenfurt has been well-known to the Austrian authorities for months, but yet they have hereto not taken any legal action against him in direct contradiction of the declarations by Austrian leaders of their determination to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice.

According to Zuroff:

“Despite the plethora of incriminating evidence against Asner and his important role in the persecution, and deportation to concentration camps where they were murdered, of hundreds of Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies, the Austrian government has hereto refrained from taking any legal measures against this Nazi war criminal. While it is true that Asner is currently under investigation in Croatia for his crimes, there is no guarantee that he will indeed be indicted and as time goes by without any legal steps being taken, the chances of his prosecution diminish.

“Under these circumstances, I urge you to convey to your government the necessity of urgent legal measures by the Austrian authorities, whose actions in this matter will finally lend practical credence to their professed good intentions and declared determination to hold Holocaust perpetrators accountable for their crimes.

During World War II, Asner served as police chief of the Croatian city of Slavonska Pozega. In a recent (May 5, 2005) interview to the Croatian weekly Hrvatski List, Asner declared that he would gladly repeat his World War II activities.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
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Wiesenthal Center Launches “Operation: Last Chance” Ad Campaign Tomorrow in Austria

The Simon Wiesenthal Center and Targum Shlishi Foundation today announced that their ad campaign in Austria for “Operation: Last Chance,” which offers financial rewards for information which facilitates the conviction and punishment of Nazi war criminals, will be launched tomorrow in the mass circulation daily Kronen Zeitung.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that the ad campaign was the critical stage of “Operation: Last Chance” which would afford all those with pertinent information an opportunity to come forward and tell the truth in order to assist in bringing those guilty of the crimes of the Holocaust to justice. “In that respect, this is really the last chance for Austria, which has not convicted a Nazi war criminal in more than a quarter of a century, to finally take legal action against Austrian Nazi murderers while justice can still be achieved,” said Zuroff.

“Operation: Last Chance” was initially launched by the Center and the Targum Shlishi Foundation of Miami, Florida founded and directed by Aryeh Rubin, in July 2002, in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Among its features were ad campaigns in the media, which stressed the role played by local Nazi collaborators in the Holocaust.

To date, the Center has received the names of 253 suspected Nazi war criminals from the Baltics and the Ukraine, 67 of which have already been submitted to local prosecutors in Lithuania, Latvia, the United States and Canada. At present, at least eight murder investigations against more than three dozen suspects are currently being conducted in the wake of “Operation: Last Chance.”

In September 2003, “Operation: Last Chance” was expanded to Poland, Romania, and Austria. Similar ad campaigns will be launched during the coming weeks in Poland and Romania

Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian, Romanian and Polish Officials to Expedite Prosecution of Nazi War Crimes Cases as “Oeration: Last Chance”Enters Second Phase

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff has conducted a series of meetings with Austrian Justice Minister Dietrich Bohmdorfer and leading prosecutors in Romania and Poland in order to expedite the investigation and prosecution of Nazi war criminals in those countries. In a statement issued today in Jerusalem to mark the conclusion of the launching of the second phase of the Center’s “Operation: Last Chance” program which offers financial rewards to informants who submit evidence or information which leads to the prosecution and punishment of Holocaust perpetrators, the Center noted the necessity of granting such investigations priority and expediting the cases which can be prosecuted. The project, which has the generous support of the “Targum Shlishi” Foundation, of Miami was initially launched in the Baltics, where it has already led to the opening of three murder investigations in Lithuania.

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.”