The United States Court of Appeals here has taken action which might lead to the deportation and trial in Yugoslavia of Andrija Artukovic, a Los Angeles resident who has been identified as a former Croatian Nazi leader notorious for his persecution of Jews.
The court here set aside an earlier ruling by the United States District Court at Los Angeles which favored Artukovic. The earlier decision held that Yugoslavia had no legal grounds on which to seek the extradition of Artukovic because an American-Serbian extradition treaty of 1902, although currently certified by the State Department, was considered by the district court to be invalid. The court of appeals, however, decided that the treaty is valid.
Artukovic was ordered remanded to the District Court to face possible extradition. Whether Arthkovic will now be deported and brought to trial will depend on the finding by the District Court as to the evidence against him.
Artukovic, as head of the Croatian Nazi police, signed an order requiring Jews to wear armbands identifying themselves with the letter “Z” (for “Zidow” or Jew). He also signed orders for deportations and extermination according to a mass of evidence from Jewish survivors and other victims of Croatian terror.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
