Andrija Artukovitch, who was charged with taking an active role in the extermination of Jews when he served as Minister of Justice in the Nazi puppet cabinet of Croatia, was set free here today by U.S. Judge Pierson M. Hall, who ruled that there was no basis for granting Yugoslavia’s request that he be returned to that country to face trial. The judge said the extradition treaty under which he was sought was not valid.
The American Jewish Congress and other organizations have submitted information to show the complicity of Artukovitch in Nazi war crimes, including anti-Semitic decrees signed by him and speeches he made inciting the Croat people against the Jews. Sources close to the case have observed that al though the hearings continued for several months no consideration of the facts of Artukovitch’s Nazi record was made by the court, which concerned itself with the technicalities of Yugoslavia’s suit for his extradition.
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