Wiesenthal Center Urges Croatian Prime Minister Milanović to Cancel Pensions Granted to Ustasha War Criminals

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center has urged the Croatian authorities to cancel special benefits granted to Ustasha war criminals shortly after the country became independent.

In a letter sent late yesterday by its chief Nazi-hunter and director of Eastern European Affairs, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that a law to this effect had been already implemented infall 1993 and that such a policy rewarded members of a movement which had committed numerous atrocities against civilians.

According to Zuroff's letter to Prime Minister Milanović:

"In view of the horrendous war crimes committed in the NDH [the Independent State of Croatia] by the Ustasha, we believe that such a policy is inherently mistaken, contrary to the principals ofthe Republic of Croatia and a horrific insult to the victims of the Ustasha, their families and all Croatians with a sense of morality and integrity.

"We therefore urge you to take the appropriate measures to change this policy as quickly as possible and spare Croatia the shame of rewarding those who were among the worst and most cruelperpetrators of World War II crimes, with special rewards for their cruelty and moral blindness."

For more information: Dr. Efraim Zuroff 972.50.721.4156 Twitter: @EZuroff, join the Center onFacebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal fornews updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in theUnited 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).