Australian government approves extradition of genocide accused

by admin
Nov 17, 2012
The Australian government has approved the extradition of a man accused of war crimes to Croatia, where he is wanted for questioning for charges which include murder and genocide.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare’s decision that Dragan Vasiljkovic could be extradited, could make him the first ever accused war criminal to be extradited from the country. A spokesman for the Minister said,
"The minister arrived at his determination following careful consideration of the provisions of the Extradition Act and taking into account representations made by, and on behalf of, Mr Vasiljkovic as to why he should not be surrendered."

"It is open to Mr Vasiljkovic to seek review of the minister's surrender determination."
Vasiljkovic, who holds dual Serbian-Australian citizenship, can however still appeal the decision to Australia’s Federal and High Courts.

His lawyer told reporters,
"Because he is someone who is a hero in Serbia but a villain across the border in Croatia, it's very difficult for him to get a fair trial... No such assurances have been given."
See our earlier post:

Dual-citizenship war criminal loses extradition case (01 October 2012)

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