Serbia Seeks Arrest of Nazi War Criminal

By Kenneth F. Hunt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia – A court in Belgrade, Serbia issued an international arrest warrant for a former Nazi accused of committing war crimes during World War II against Jews.

Peter Egner, 88, is suspected of committing mass murder during the Nazi occupation of Serbia. The Nazis occupied large parts of Serbia, including Belgrade, from April 1941 to October 1944.

He is accused of taking part of executing 17,000 civilians between 1941 and 1943, including “Jews, Romas, and political dissidents”. The indictment also suggests that Mr. Egner directly ordered some of those executions.

Some of the victims were executed in Belgrade in a van specially designed for gassing. Others executed later after being sent to concentration camps.

The alleged crimes occurred when Mr. Egner was part of a Nazi-run Serbian police unit known as Einsatzgruppe. Mr. Egner has consistently claimed not only that he was not a part of Einsatzgruppe, but knows nothing about its existence.

Mr. Egner, born in the former Yugoslavia, is an ethnic German, who has been an American citizen since he moved to the United States in the 1960’s. Mr. Egner also currently lives in the United States.

The United States Department of Justice has cooperated with Serbia in investigating war crimes committed by Einsatzgruppe, and plans to continue to do so.

As a result of the investigation, the Department of Justice has filed a motion with a federal court to revoke Mr. Egner’s citizenship.

For more information, please see:

B92 – Arrest warrant out for WW2 Nazi – 2 April 2010

BBC – Serbia issues warrant for ‘Nazi murderer’ Peter Egner – 2 April 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Serbia Seeks Extradition Of Suspected Nazi From U.S. – 2 April 2010

UPI – Serbia issues warrant for WW II suspect – 2 April 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive