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Yugoslavia Apologizes to Dutch for Failure to Arrest Visiting War Criminal

November 1, 1967
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The Yugoslav Government has apologized to the Dutch Ambassador in Belgrade for the failure to apprehend the Nazi war criminal, Erich Rajakovic, who fled to his native Austria from Yugoslavia last month to avoid extradition to Holland. Rajakovic is wanted in the Netherlands for his role in the deportation of 100,000 Dutch Jews to Nazi concentration camps.

The Netherlands Government exonerated the Yugoslav Government of blame for Rajakovic’s flight which the Yugoslav authorities attributed to carelessness on the part of their police. The Government said in a statement to Parliament that the Yugoslavian authorities from the start had extended full cooperation to meet Holland’s request for temporary detention of Rajakovic. As an Austrian national, Rajakovic is protected by law which forbids the extradition by Austria of its own nationals. He went to Yugoslavia on a brief vacation visit.

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