The Austrian Justice Department, acting clandestinely discontinued criminal proceedings one year ago against Franz Murer, a Nazi war criminal believed responsible for the death of 80,000 Jews in the Vilna ghetto during World War II. Simon Wiesenthal, head of the Nazi War Crimes Documentation Center here, said today that he discovered the “nolli pros”– order of discontinuance–by accident when he checked with the Justice Ministry on the progress of the Murer case. “The step was taken last June” without any previous notice, Wiesenthal said.
Wiesenthal, who played a part in tracking down Adolf Eichmann, found Murer hiding out in an Austrian inn in 1947. He was extradited to the Soviet Union where he was sentenced to a 25-year prison term for war crimes but was returned to his native Austria in 1955 on condition that a new trial would be held. Murer went on trial in Graz in 1964 but was acquitted. The Austrian Supreme Court ordered a re-trial the following year but it was never held.
Wiesenthal said Austrian judicial authorities have not held a single war crimes trial in three years. He said their explanation was that they feared the trials would end in acquittal. According to Wiesenthal, a total of 800 war crimes cases were under investigation in Austria in 1970. Five years later, all but about 30 were discontinued, he said.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
