ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - "No one was brought to Jasenovac because of their faith, racial belonging or political affiliation. They who actively worked against the Croatian State ended up there, regardless of whether they were Croat,
Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox or any other belonging", said war crimes suspect and commander of a Croatian World War Two concentration camp Dinko Sakic in continuation of his defence which began on Thursday morning at the Zagreb County Court. Sakic said that following his departure from Jasenovac on October 1, 1944 until the end of the war, he worked in the Ustashi Information Service Centre in Zagreb. He had also been General Maks Luburic's aide-de-camp at one time. He said that he married Luburic's step-sister on December 31, 1944 at the church in Sestine (just outside Zagreb). At the end of the war he left, as he said, with the Croatian Army moving towards Austria where he spent six months in Ant
ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - "No one was brought to Jasenovac because of
their faith, racial belonging or political affiliation. They who
actively worked against the Croatian State ended up there,
regardless of whether they were Croat, Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox
or any other belonging", said war crimes suspect and commander of a
Croatian World War Two concentration camp Dinko Sakic in
continuation of his defence which began on Thursday morning at the
Zagreb County Court.
Sakic said that following his departure from Jasenovac on October
1, 1944 until the end of the war, he worked in the Ustashi
Information Service Centre in Zagreb. He had also been General Maks
Luburic's aide-de-camp at one time. He said that he married
Luburic's step-sister on December 31, 1944 at the church in Sestine
(just outside Zagreb).
At the end of the war he left, as he said, with the Croatian Army
moving towards Austria where he spent six months in Ante Pavelic's
body guard who was later godfather to two of Sakic's sons. Later
they departed Austria and went to a refugee camp in Italy from
whence in 1947 he went to Argentina. My passage was paid by a Croat
Jew, Ivan Heinrich who valued me because I had saved his relative
from the camp, Sakic said.
He then described his business career and political activities in
Argentina. He said that in 1954 he went to Spain only to return to
Argentina again in 1959.
"In Argentina, I participated in establishing the Croatian
National Committee which was the most widespread Croat emigrant
organisation with over 30 thousand members. We worked in
reconciliating Croats regardless of their past and ideological
beliefs", he said.
He described his role in the case of the hijacking of a Swedish plane
in 1972. "Three young Croats 'borrowed' a plane in an attempt to
compel the Swedish Government to liberate some Croats sentenced for
the murder of Yugoslav Ambassador Rolovic.
They landed the plane in Spain, where they handed it over to the
authorities. I organised their defence, for which Belgrade
threatened that it would never forgive me", Sakic said.
He emphasised that despite the numerous accusations forwarded from
Belgrade, he never had any problems. "I always travelled freely
throughout Europe and the USA, where they knew who and what I was
because when I applied for a visa I noted that I was a Croat officer
and camp administrator", he said.
He stressed that from the moment the Argentinian television's
"spectacular" discovery, until the moment his warrant was signed,
he could have left Argentina quite legally, for he was not a wanted
man. "My conscience is clear. This is why, I did not retaliate nor
did I seek legal assistance to avoid extradition. I want the truth
to be known", Sakic concluded his three hour defence statement.
Branko Seric, one of Sakic's defence attorneys, stated after the
day's session, that in continuation of his defence statement, his
client would testify about his role at the camp and answer to
accusations put forward by witnesses.
The trial continues June 28.
(hina) sp