WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Hina) - The American Jewish organisation B'nai B'rith has no reason to doubt that the decision of the Croatian State Attorney's Office not to continue the proceedings against Nada Sakic is founded, B'nai B'rith's
honorary international president Tommy Baer told Hina on Wednesday. Baer said he believed the Croatian State Attorney would have requested that a trial of Nada Sakic begin, had there been enough evidence to support it. Adding that only one out of 26 questioned witnesses had - indirectly - put Nada Sakic at the scene of horrid crimes (Stara Gradiska concentration camp), Baer said that, as a former US public prosecutor, he knew that it was not enough to issue an indictment. Baer said his organisation was helping and had established cooperation with Croatian authorities in important issues, such as trials of war criminals from the time of Nazism. In his capacity as
WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Hina) - The American Jewish organisation B'nai
B'rith has no reason to doubt that the decision of the Croatian
State Attorney's Office not to continue the proceedings against
Nada Sakic is founded, B'nai B'rith's honorary international
president Tommy Baer told Hina on Wednesday.
Baer said he believed the Croatian State Attorney would have
requested that a trial of Nada Sakic begin, had there been enough
evidence to support it.
Adding that only one out of 26 questioned witnesses had - indirectly
- put Nada Sakic at the scene of horrid crimes (Stara Gradiska
concentration camp), Baer said that, as a former US public
prosecutor, he knew that it was not enough to issue an indictment.
Baer said his organisation was helping and had established
cooperation with Croatian authorities in important issues, such as
trials of war criminals from the time of Nazism.
In his capacity as president of B'nai B'rith, Bear had visited
Croatia on two occasions, and in 1995 he met Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman on the Brijuni isles.
Baer said his organisation did not have and therefore could not give
to Croatian authorities any evidence or testimonies of witnesses on
possible crimes committed by Nada Sakic.
Speaking about the alleged evidence Belgrade claimed to have, Bear
wondered why Yugoslav authorities had not forwarded that evidence
to Croatia.
He declined to comment on the views of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre
regarding the proceedings that had been carried out against Nada
Sakic in Croatia.
Commenting on a proposal by Simon Wiesenthal Centre director
Ephraim Zuroff that Yugoslavia request Sakic's extradition, Baer
said she was a Croatian citizen and he believed that, although such
requests should be respected, Croatian laws did not allow for such a
possibility.
It would be a different matter if Sakic did not remain in Croatia
but, for example, returned to Argentina, he added.
President Tudjman has invited Tommy Baer to be an official observer
at the trial of Dinko Sakic, commander of the World War II
concentration camp Jasenovac.
Baer confirmed he would attend the trial adding that judicial
authorities in Zagreb granted all requests he had made - from
simultaneous translation to additional witnesses.
(hina) jn rml