Budapest – The Simon Wiesenthal Center described the acquittal here today of former Hungarian Gendarmerie officer Sandor Kepiro as an outrageous miscarriage of justice which directly contradicts the extensive evidence of Kepiro’s direct involvement and responsibility in the January 23, 1942 massacre of at least 1,246 innocent residences of the Serbian city of Novi Sad.
In a statement issued here today by its chief Nazi hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that Kepiro had already been convicted in 1944 and 1946 in connection with his role in the Massacre (although not for war crimes) and that the verdict would be appealed.
According to Zuroff: Today’s verdict is an insult to the memory of the Novi Sad massacre and a sad day for Hungarian society. A judicial decision which brings joy to the ultra nationalists of Hungary and pain to the victims of fascist crimes is inherently flawed and the Center will do whatever he can to help to change it as quickly as possible.”
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).