Sydney - An 86-year-old Australian citizen accused of
killing a Jewish teenager in his native Hungary in 1944 lost his
latest court battle Wednesday to prevent his extradition to face war
crimes charges.
Charles Zentai was initially taken into custody in Perth but then
released on bail pending the outcome of an appeal.
He denies an accusation from the Jewish human rights organization
the Simon Wiesenthal Centre that he participated in the fatal beating
of 18-year-old Peter Balazs in Budapest.
Zentai and two fellow soldiers are alleged to have tortured and
killed Balazs before dumping his body in the Danube River. His two
alleged accomplices were jailed over the murder in the 1940s.
An extradition request for Zentai, who emigrated in 1950, was
received from Hungary in 2005.
Outside the Perth court, Zentai's son, Gabriel Steiner, said his
father was not in Budapest on the day of the killing.
'This is home,' Steiner said. 'He made a commitment to become an
Australian citizen 50 years ago, and I think Australia needs to make
some commitment to him as a citizen as well.'
He said Canberra should not make an old man with heart problems
face a court in Hungary.
'We have faith in the Australian legal system but have no trust in
the Hungarian government, who are willing to pursue an innocent man
to this extent,' he said.
Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, described
the claims as 'totally absurd.'
'Hungary is a member of the NATO, it is a member of the EU and its
justice system is exactly the same as any Liberal democratic Western
country,' Zuroff said in a statement.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story