Canada’s Justice Department has launched denaturalization and deportation actions against two alleged Nazi war criminals.
The actions against 75-year-old Vladimir Katriuk and 82-year-old Ladislaus Cszicik Csatary bring to eight the total number of such cases the department has initiated during the past two years.
The Justice Department alleges that Katriuk, a Montreal resident, served as a section leader in the Schuma 118, a Belarussian police battalion that brutalized partisan groups, and that he participated in atrocities against civilians between 1942 and 1944.
Csatary, who moved to Toronto from Montreal several months ago, allegedly served in the Royal Hungarian Police at Kassa, Hungary, and participated in the internment and deportation of thousands of Jews to death and labor camps in 1944.
Both suspects lied to gain admittance to Canada and to obtain citizenship, the Justice Department contends.
“We’ll be filing detailed summaries of facts and evidence within the next 10 days,” said Paul Vickery, director and general counsel of the department’s war crimes unit.
It has been nearly two years since the Canadian government announced its intention to launch proceedings against a preliminary list of 12 Nazi war crimes suspects.
Proceedings have already been launched against Katriuk, Csatary and six others. The government has yet to act on the remaining four cases.
Though they commended the government for initiating action against the latest two suspects, Jewish officials expressed dismay at the slow pace of the government and the court system.
“It’s especially troubling that the process is so lengthy, knowing that time is on the side of the alleged war criminals,” said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress’ Quebec region, referring to the advanced ages of the suspects.
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