Hungarian WW2 war criminal to go on trial

The war crimes trial of 96-year-old Sandor Kepiro will begin in Budapest on Thursday, it has been announced. Kepiro, a member of the occupying Hungarian fascist forces in Serbia during the Second World War, is charged in connection to mass killings of Serbs, Jews and Roma in early 1942. Hungarian WW2 war criminal to go on trial The massacre, known as the Novi Sad Raid, saw the rounding up and killings of at least 1,200 residents of Novi Sad, north of Belgrade. New research, however, puts the number of victims - murdered in the space of two days in January of that year - at more than 4,000. Serbia's War Crimes Prosecution in 2008 opened its investigation against Kepiro, but in the meantime decided to hand it over the the Hungarian judiciary. Kepiro was on the list of top five most wanted fugitive WW2 fascists, put together by Jerusalem's Simon Wiesenthal Center. Kepiro was found guilty and sentenced twice to ten, and then 14 years in prison, but escaped to Argentina and never served a day in prison. He returned to Hungary several years ago. The killings of Serb, Jewish and Roma civilians in northern Serbia in the winter of 1942 extended beyond Novi Sad, to the town of Becej and the Sajkacka District, with the total number of victims put at between 4,000 and 12,000. Many among them were women, children and elderly. In Novi Sad, they were rounded up and murdered on the banks of the frozen Danube River, after which their killers threw their bodies into the water. Kepiro is also suspected of taking part in deportations of Novi Sad's Jews to the Auschwitz death camp in 1944. Witnesses claim that he was a captain in the occupying Hungarian Gendarmerie forces, but Kepiro denied his involvement in the crimes, saying he was "nowhere near the killings", and describing himself as "the only one who objected to orders".

Hungarian WW2 war criminal to go on trial

The massacre, known as the Novi Sad Raid, saw the rounding up and killings of at least 1,200 residents of Novi Sad, north of Belgrade.

New research, however, puts the number of victims - murdered in the space of two days in January of that year - at more than 4,000.

Serbia's War Crimes Prosecution in 2008 opened its investigation against Kepiro, but in the meantime decided to hand it over the the Hungarian judiciary.

Kepiro was on the list of top five most wanted fugitive WW2 fascists, put together by Jerusalem's Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Kepiro was found guilty and sentenced twice to ten, and then 14 years in prison, but escaped to Argentina and never served a day in prison.

He returned to Hungary several years ago.

The killings of Serb, Jewish and Roma civilians in northern Serbia in the winter of 1942 extended beyond Novi Sad, to the town of Bečej and the Šajkačka District, with the total number of victims put at between 4,000 and 12,000. Many among them were women, children and elderly.

In Novi Sad, they were rounded up and murdered on the banks of the frozen Danube River, after which their killers threw their bodies into the water.

Kepiro is also suspected of taking part in deportations of Novi Sad's Jews to the Auschwitz death camp in 1944.

Witnesses claim that he was a captain in the occupying Hungarian Gendarmerie forces, but Kepiro denied his involvement in the crimes, saying he was "nowhere near the killings", and describing himself as "the only one who objected to orders".