The Australian Jewish community has reacted with outrage at the halting of the extradition of a Nazi-era war crimes suspect to Hungary.
90-year-old Charles Zentai escaped extradition to Hungary after he won a legal battle in Australia’s courts last week. He is accused of participating in the murder of Jews in Hunary in 1944.
Jeremy Jones, a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry slammed the decision as “a fickle, cynical abrogation of morality”, commenting,
The Jewish community has been vocal against the decision, with Efraim Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s in Israel saying,
90-year-old Charles Zentai escaped extradition to Hungary after he won a legal battle in Australia’s courts last week. He is accused of participating in the murder of Jews in Hunary in 1944.
Jeremy Jones, a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry slammed the decision as “a fickle, cynical abrogation of morality”, commenting,
"Australian governments, through commission and omission, had been complicit in allowing torturers, murderers and architects of the most gross inhumanity to come and live,in peace and without fear of consequences, in Australia."See his full statement here.
"My Australia. Our Australia. In the country that had taken in so many good and decent people who had rebuilt their lives and rebuilt the nation. Australia – which held itself up to the world as an exemplar of decency."
"There had been a gross distortion of decency, allowing fugitives to take places of refugees… with the result being a moral stain on our country."
“This decision almost screams from the rooftops that Australia lacks the will to redress a great historic wrong.”
The Jewish community has been vocal against the decision, with Efraim Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s in Israel saying,
“It’s a very sad day for Australia, a very sad day for justice and a very sad day for the victims of the Holocaust, their relatives and anyone who has any sense of empathy with the victims of the Holocaust”.Stating that Australia has “totally failed” on the issue of Nazi war criminals, he went on to say,
“It pains me to criticize Australia, but it has officially confirmed its status as the worst of the Anglo countries which sought to take legal action against Nazi war criminals”.Marika Weinberger, an 84-year-old Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who lost several members of her family in Auschwitz, said,
“It does not come as a surprise. Yes, I am disappointed. Yes, I am sad. But I am not surprised.”Weinberger continued to call herself a “proud Australian,” but said Australia was “the only country who could have and should have” convicted Nazi war criminals.
“This is why it hurts. I can’t understand it. I would have liked to live long enough that at least one would be convicted, so that we would show the world we care.”See more reactions here.
