Trial opens for suspected WW2 Hungarian Nazi

The trial of 97-year-old Sandor Kepiro, accused of committing war crimes in occupied northern Serbia during WW2, has begun in Budapest, Hungary. The trial is attended today by Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic. Trial opens for suspected WW2 Hungarian Nazi The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution initially opened the case, but later decided to transfer it to the Hungarian judiciary. Kepiro showed up in the courtroom on Thursday aided by relatives, "since he moves with difficulty", said reports. He carried a paper reading, "Murderers, you're putting a 97-year-old man on trial", with him to the dock. Kepiro told the judges that we was not guilty of taking part in rounding up of civilians and their subsequent murders. When asked who was responsible for this care, considering his advanced age, the accused answered, "God". He also revealed that upon returning to Hungary from Argentina in 1996, he received a pension - a monthly sum of "a little under EUR 200". Outside the courthouse several dozen young people wore yellow Stars of David - such as were used by Nazis to mark Jews in Europe during the Second World War - with banners reading, "You should not have killed", and, "Kepiro, how do you sleep at night?" According to Budapest Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Gabriella Skoda, Kepiro is accused of participating in the infamous Novi Sad massacre in January 1942, known as the Novi Sad Raid, when at least 1,200 Serbs, Jews and Roma were killed. Later research, however, put the number of victims killed within the space of three days to as many as 4,000. The indictment was raised on February 14 this year, even though Kepiro had been living in Hungary for the previous 15 years. Kepiro, who was a police captain in the fascist Hungarian forces during the war, has already been sentenced twice for involvement in civilian deaths, but he managed to escape and avoid prison both times. He first fled to Austria at the end of the war and then to Argentina in 1948, "with the help of the Catholic Church", Tanjug is reporting. He returned to Hungary in 1996 because one of the government officials at the time told him there was no ongoing case against him, that the prescription for enforcement of judgment had run out on the previous verdicts against him and that he could peacefully spend the rest of his life in his home country. However, a decade later, Kepiro was located in Budapest by Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre office in Jerusalem Efraim Zuroff. Zuroff will be attending the trial start on Thursday, as well as representatives of the Novi Sad Jewish community. The Serbian authorities and the Novi Sad Jewish community took an active part in the efforts to bring Kepiro to justice. Kepiro in the courtroom today

Trial opens for suspected WW2 Hungarian Nazi

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution initially opened the case, but later decided to transfer it to the Hungarian judiciary.

Kepiro showed up in the courtroom on Thursday aided by relatives, "since he moves with difficulty", said reports.

He carried a paper reading, "Murderers, you're putting a 97-year-old man on trial", with him to the dock.

Kepiro told the judges that we was not guilty of taking part in rounding up of civilians and their subsequent murders.

When asked who was responsible for this care, considering his advanced age, the accused answered, "God".

He also revealed that upon returning to Hungary from Argentina in 1996, he received a pension - a monthly sum of "a little under EUR 200".

Outside the courthouse several dozen young people wore yellow Stars of David - such as were used by Nazis to mark Jews in Europe during the Second World War - with banners reading, "You should not have killed", and, "Kepiro, how do you sleep at night?"

According to Budapest Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Gabriella Skoda, Kepiro is accused of participating in the infamous Novi Sad massacre in January 1942, known as the Novi Sad Raid, when at least 1,200 Serbs, Jews and Roma were killed.

Later research, however, put the number of victims killed within the space of three days to as many as 4,000.

The indictment was raised on February 14 this year, even though Kepiro had been living in Hungary for the previous 15 years.

Kepiro, who was a police captain in the fascist Hungarian forces during the war, has already been sentenced twice for involvement in civilian deaths, but he managed to escape and avoid prison both times.

He first fled to Austria at the end of the war and then to Argentina in 1948, "with the help of the Catholic Church", Tanjug is reporting.

He returned to Hungary in 1996 because one of the government officials at the time told him there was no ongoing case against him, that the prescription for enforcement of judgment had run out on the previous verdicts against him and that he could peacefully spend the rest of his life in his home country.

However, a decade later, Kepiro was located in Budapest by Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre office in Jerusalem Efraim Zuroff. Zuroff will be attending the trial start on Thursday, as well as representatives of the Novi Sad Jewish community.

The Serbian authorities and the Novi Sad Jewish community took an active part in the efforts to bring Kepiro to justice.