SAKIC VERDICT IMPORTANT THING FOR CROATIA - SAYS ZUROFF

ZAGREB, Oct 4 (Hina) - The 20-year-imprisonment verdict in the Dinko Sakic trial is very satisfactory as it is the maximum under the Croatian law, the director of the Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Efraim Zuroff, said in Zagreb on Monday, pointing out this was an important thing for Croatia and its judiciary.#L# "We are very pleased with the verdict, under the law this was the maximum that could have been given to the defendant, and in that respect it was very important that he was given the maximum sentence given the severity of his crimes," Zuroff told the press. Sakic, the former commander of Jasenovac, a Croatian World War Two concentration camp, was on Monday sentenced by the Zagreb County Court to 20 years in prison, the maximum under the Croatian law, for crimes against humanity and international law, namely war crimes against civilians. Zuroff said today was an "important day for finding the truth regarding the crime of the Holocaust (...) and particularly for crimes that were committed in this country." He asserted this was "a significant achievement for Croatia and credit to the justice system of this country", and especially commended the "exemplary" manner in which Judge Tripalo headed the six-month trial. Zuroff paid special tribute to Croatia's journalists, who he said "reported about Sakic and about his crimes long before we at the Wiesenthal Centre ever heard his name." Zuroff also made particular mention of the Argentinean journalist who conducted an interview with Sakic, in which the defendant denied all crimes committed at the Jasenovac camp. This, Zuroff added, urged the Argentinean Government's resolve to first arrest, and then extradite Sakic to Croatia. Zuroff said Judge Tripalo's decision reflected the "attitude of the defendant to the crimes, the fact that he showed absolutely no remorse." The director of the Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre said today's verdict "is not the end of the story (...) this is only the first step in the battle towards the truth" regarding the crimes which were committed in these places and in efforts to bring those responsible to justice. "We all know that Dinko Sakic is not the only criminal here (...) there are others (...) living here," Zuroff said, adding efforts will be made to "investigate and see what can be done in those cases." He pointed out the Sakic verdict was a significant step because of the defendant's influence and importance. "Jasenovac deserves it," Zuroff said, wondering whether the case would help that the truth about Jasenovac be finally told and taught in schools. Answering reporters' questions, Zuroff said the Simon Wiesenthal Centre had urged that Sakic be also tried for genocide, which count the prosecutor did not include in the indictment. "There's no doubt in my mind that (...) what was going on in Jasenovac was part of genocide," he said, adding the Centre considered the prosecutor's decision to exclude the count wrong. Zuroff pointed out however that it was very significant that, under the circumstances, the maximum sentence was given to Sakic. Responding to reporters' questions, Zuroff said he was sure Sakic would appeal to the Croatian Supreme Court, but also hoped the verdict would not be altered. He mentioned the case of former Treblinka concentration camp commander Demjanjuk, in which the Supreme Court overruled the regular court's verdict on war crimes charges. Zuroff said that was a case in which the defendant's identity was impossible to ascertain, and therefore had no points in common with the Sakic case. Sakic admitted to being the commander of Jasenovac and was very proud of it, he asserted, adding this was indicative of the mentality of the people who served the Ustashi regime. (hina) ha