Yugoslavian efforts to extradite Andrija Artukovic, Nazi collaborator who has been charged with the murder of Yugoslavian Jews, are now focused on the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to which the case has been returned following a series of legal events culminating in a Supreme Court ruling favoring Yugoslavia’s bid for extradition.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that an old Serbian-American Extradition Treaty remains in force, thus supporting Yugoslavia’s attempt to have Artukovic deported so that he may be brought to trial for the many war crimes and crimes against humanity with which he is charged.
In the latest development the case has been returned to the court of original jurisdiction which must now decide on a new question raised by Artukovic. It is whether his acts on behalf of the Nazis and against the Jews were of a political or criminal character. The extradition treaty covers criminal acts but not political offenses.
Artukovic has until February 18 to submit evidence to support his claim of being a political refugee and “fugitive from Communism” rather than a Nazi war criminal as charged by the Yugoslavian Government and major Jewish organizations. Having been exposed after entering the United States under a false name, Artukovic resides at present in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles District Court originally ruled in favor of Artukovic, maintaining that no legal extradition treaty existed under which he could be deported. But the Federal Court of Appeals at San Francisco reversed the decision and the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals.
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.
