The arrest Tuesday of a Windsor, Ontario, man on war crimes charges has revived hope among Jewish groups here that Canada will reinvogorate its flagging effort to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.
Radislav Grujicic, 81, was charged with 10 counts of premeditated murder and one count each of conspiracy to murder and kidnap.
His indictment says that as a senior official of a special section of the Belgrade police in wartime Serbia from June 22, 1941 to Oct. 1, 1944, he conspired with civil authorities and the German occupying forces in the arrest and interrogation of suspected communists.
As a result of Grujicic’s activities, his victims were deported to Germany and elsewhere for forced labor. Ten people are alleged to have been shot in Belgrade on May 25, 1943.
Grujicic is the fourth person charged under a 1987 law allowing the prosecution of war criminals in Canada. So far, none of them has been convicted.
But this time, the Justice Department has assigned its most senior prosecutor, Ivan Whitehall, to the case.
“After a frustrating interval of close to three years with no fresh indictments, it is reassuring to have tangible evidence that the government is still committed to the process of bringing war criminals in Canada to justice,” said Milton Harris of the Canadian Jewish Congress War Crimes Committee.
“This gives us cause for renewed hope that we will shortly see action on some of the other priority cases of Nazi war criminals living in Canada.”
B’nai Brith Canada spokesman Paul Marcus said the government should “consider using all remedies against accused war criminals in Canada, including denaturalization and deportation. We should make it as uncomfortable as possible for war crimes suspects.”
B’nai Brith issued a highly critical report last month documenting the government’s mishandling of war crimes prosecutions.
At a recent meeting with Solicitor General Doug Lewis, the CJC was informed that the Justice Department has identified some 20 cases as offering the best chance for successful prosecution.
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