Nazi War Criminal Watching Football at Euro 2008

June 18th, 2008 | by: Ian Rose |

Milivoj Asner is an old man, living a quiet life in Austria. But the former Croatian police chief has one of the uglier histories of anyone still living free in Europe. In 2005, he was indicted for crimes against humanity, for his actions in the Croatian city of Požega during World War II.

The man was a Nazi and a prominent figure in the puppet regime that controlled Croatia before and during the war. And while he sits fourth on Nazi-hunters’ list of war criminals still at large, he is free to do as he please, including watching football.

Mr. Asner has been photographed supporting the Croatian side at Euro 2008. According to Austrian officials, he is unable to be extradited to Croatia for trial because he is unfit, both physically and mentally, but the photographs suggest otherwise. He is sipping wine, laughing with other supporters, and taking in the match like any other fan.

I think the quote from Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre sums up my feelings on this pretty well: “If Austria is to dispel the notion that it is a paradise for Nazi criminals, it needs to act now.” I have a lot of respect for Austria as a country, and have been impressed so far with how this tournament has been organized. But letting someone accused of crimes like these hide there is shameful, and needs to be corrected.

Not only should this disgust Croatia fans, but everyone throughout Europe who believes that there is no statute of limitations on genocide. I’m all for the concept of being innocent until proven guilty, but that concept means nothing if someone can avoid that innocence being challenged in court. If you’re well enough to come out to the game, watching the action with a drink in your hand, you are well enough to be extradited and charged. Do the right thing, Austria.

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Comments

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By AJ | June 18th, 2008 at 9:29 am

Jan his logic makes perfect sense. Bush right now is perhaps a bigger criminal than that Nazi geezer.

History is written by the winners.

Posted from Canada

By Tote Football Pro | June 18th, 2008 at 9:46 am

Not making any excuses for this animal, but “enjoying Euro 208″ is a typical Sun headline – sensationalist and inaccurate. He was seen strolling around and passing cafes that had football fans in.

Still, the fact that he was strolling around at all flies in the face of those who say he is not fit enough to stand trial.

For a long time now Austria has been a safe haven for wanted Nazi criminals. This needs to stop. NOW!

Posted from United States

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am

History is written by the winners

exactly…

Jan I think it is correct… I mean, yeah what some Nazi’s (because not ALL of them actually killed jewes you kow) did was awefull, but come on. You can’t just judge one sides war crimes!

It is not like most of them even had a choice, they couldn’t disobey a direct order and they just did what they were told to do… War is horrible and you can’t just look at one side of the story… you can;t just make every Nazi into a monster

Posted from El Salvador

By Mont | June 18th, 2008 at 9:59 am

ordeal_rules – Your’e a pr*ck!

Posted from United Kingdom

By Ian Rose | June 18th, 2008 at 10:07 am

Ordeal – your first point had a grain of truth in it (the fact that winners get to write history), but your second really doesn’t. A soldier is responsible for his actions, and if he follows an order he knows to be criminal, he is responsible for the consequences. “Just following orders” is an excuse that we’ve denied time and time again, starting with the Nuremberg trials. Moreover, this man was a police chief – he was not a foot soldier. As far as I’m concerned, if he can walk (or stroll, as the Sun would put it) he can stand trial for his crimes.

By Thierry | June 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am

Bush was a dishonest president. But to compare him to a REAL war criminal appear to me a little bit exaggerated. You know when we call war criminal the Nazi of The WWII it is not at all exagerated, the crimes they did were free and only motivated by the only hatred and racism. The bombing of Dresde ? Caen was bombed in the same way and it wasn’t a war crime at all. to compare americans who gave their life to save Europe to Nazi, To compare the Bombed of Dresde with the war crimes committed by the Nazi appears to me nasty. You should learn History “ordeal_rules”.In Eastern Europe, nowadays, it appears like the time was suspended in 1945, same old “passions” reappear, may be they never really disappear but were just became quiet during communism, for example nowadays 65% of polish say of themselves they are antisemit( despite only a population of 15 000 judes in Poland, nowadays). And in Salvador ?

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am

yeah mont im a prick!!! im just arguing here for arguing but really, do you think a soldier actually gets to make a decition?

they are conditioned from day one to obey EVERYTHING they are said, since if they don’t they await severe punishment… Ian its easy to talk right now, 60 years after the war, I bet it was another thing back then, you just cant judge people like that man…

he should pay for his crimes, but it is stupid for him to be chased after while the united states congratulated thier mass murdereers that invented the Atomic Bomb…or the english not getting any beef after they targeted civilian populations FOR THE FIRST TIME during the world war…

you got to be fair with this…

I am not defending him at all, just trying to understand why we HATE nazis so much and think of the allies as such great good people that saved the world…

you just have to actually sit down and think about it a little…

it would be nice if anyone with military experience would have something to say about this…

as a closing statement, FUCK THE WAR

Posted from El Salvador

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am

thierry…

the nazis did commit a lot of war crime, you just have to accept that it is not liek in the movies that every single nazi was a war mongering monster… the people who were responsible for war crimes should be broght into trial, what I think is unfair is that only the german troups were charged with them while the allies were angels sent from heaven to save us from the blood thirsty nazi!

Posted from El Salvador

By Yevy | June 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am

ordeal_rules – Your’e a ~~pr*ck!~~ terribly misguided. You are entitled to your opinions about the “winning side”, past and current US policies, etc. However none of them justify what Milivoj Asner is accused of, nor do they have any bearing on whether or not he should stand trial. If you have such strong feelings about the many wrongs that are perpetrated in this world you can find a better platform to express them, rather than being a Nazi apologist.

Posted from United States

By be-honest | June 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am

Rose- I don’t know where you come from but you have to be honest and ask also
for all the soldiers that are killing innocent children in Iraq to be prosecuted in the court. I don’t think that “newspapers” like Sun or you will ever do that. Or even better ask for Blair and Bush to be prosecuted the same way Milosevic was. The point is you tend to have double standards,killing of innocent people by your western world solders and goverments is called “collateral damage”(horrible expression when talking about human lives) and if its done by somebody else you call them terrorists,criminals…

Bringing this old man to court will not change anything in present world,but condemning and bringing to court politicians who are primarily responsible for the madness and genocide we witness in the world.

By Yevy | June 18th, 2008 at 10:34 am

be-honest “Bringing this old man to court will not change anything in present world, but condemning and bringing to court politicians who are primarily responsible for the madness and genocide we witness in the world.”

The problem with not making “this old man” stand trial is when you knock on the door of the politicians and make them answer for their crimes, they will say “Why come for me? You didn’t prosecute Milivoj Asner.”

Posted from United States

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am

yevy, what are you talking about.. I am not defending this man’s actions… I am defending the other soldiers that fought for germany and the many other nazi’s out there that ha dno other choice but to become part of the movement… YOU are terribly misguided I must say as you don’t get the point… all im saying is that if this asshole is still getting charged with this then other war crimes should be “justified” as well… This man should be brough to justcie, but what good is it goign to do now? I bet he is not the man he was 60 years ago…

and another thing about the nazi…

my girlfriend is half Austrian. Both her grandparents were nazi, not because they wanted to, but because they had no choice. Her grandma was in a nazi school, and was beeing brought up with all that nazi propaganda and had to be a part of it even if she didn’t want a part of it. Her grandpa is dead now, he was an Engieneer, he also had to be part of the Nazi regiem even if he did not want to. After the war was over the french took him as a POW and was in a consentration for some years. When he tried to escape he was shot in the head, I don’t know how but he did not die but he didn’t. You see… it’s not as simple as you think it is, so stop telling me how to bview history and think more about what you are told before you speak ok.

Posted from El Salvador

By Ian Rose | June 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am

be-honest: I’m not saying that the Allies were universally good, or that there aren’t current war crimes being committed. Every war has them, and always has. I also never said that any American or Briton or anyone else who has done something outside of the rules of war shouldn’t be punished. I’ll be the first to admit that Western leaders have done some horrible things, and continue to do so.

But that does not excuse someone else from responsibility for their crimes. The idea of this post was that someone accused of murder shouldn’t be able to walk around while claiming that they are too unhealthy to stand trial.

Thanks everybody for the comments, and please continue to keep away from personal attacks. It’s important that we can have a civil debate about things like this, without getting personal.

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 10:46 am

i sorry in, and I do stand by that point… he should have been brought to justice earlier..

what I disgaree on is that the other side shoudl also have been brought to justice as well

Posted from El Salvador

By elle | June 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am

there’s a difference between collateral damage in war and specifically going out just to kill a certain race. The Allies killed civilians in WWII, but that’s not what Asner is being charged with. He is being charged with sending a specific race of people to their deaths for the specific purpose of genocide. You can’t honestly say that the allies did that.

By ordeal_rules (JCS) | June 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am

elle, killing inocent people willingly is killing all the same…

fuck em both they are both mass murderers… not all of them, but their leaders sure are

Posted from El Salvador

By Jon | June 18th, 2008 at 11:56 am

Ian, meet high horse soap box. High horse soap box, say hi to Ian.

The guy is approximately 200 years old. What purpose will it serve to charge and jail him at this point? Yeah, what he did was wrong, but convictions are supposed to prevent people from committing crimes again or deter others from doing the same. As far as we know, this dude isn’t exactly a threat to go on a crime rampage these days, and I’m not aware of any plans for the Germans to invade Poland either. To me, he looks like more of a threat to fall asleep and start snoring in the middle of a Matlock episode.

By Tommy Wong | June 18th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Wow this post delivers.

How about we start talking calcio?

Posted from United States

By musab | June 18th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

So how bout them Italians?

Posted from United States

By ordeal_rules | June 18th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

“The guy is approximately 200 years old. What purpose will it serve to charge and jail him at this point? Yeah, what he did was wrong, but convictions are supposed to prevent people from committing crimes again or deter others from doing the same. As far as we know, this dude isn’t exactly a threat to go on a crime rampage these days, and I’m not aware of any plans for the Germans to invade Poland either. To me, he looks like more of a threat to fall asleep and start snoring in the middle of a Matlock episode.”

bingo!

Posted from El Salvador

By Paco Sanchezski | June 18th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Thierry, you effin ignorant.
Even if a large segment of Polish (that’s capital P) population claim today to be anti-semite that does not explain or justify why GERMANS were killing both Polish Jews and Gentiles during WWII.
And what Poland has to do with what went on in Croatia which had a collaborationist government?
Do some research before commenting on WWII atrocities. Dumbkopf!

Posted from Canada

By Ian Rose | June 18th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

This is a difference of opinion, that’s all. You seem to believe that there’s a statute of limitations on war crimes, that after 50 or 60 or some number of years, you’re no longer worth catching, no matter what you did. I can respect that argument – I just strongly disagree with it. If someone knows they’re indicted for what amounts to genocide, I want them to know they can’t wait it out until a certain age and be rid of it. As for being a “different man”, I know this doesn’t make me a very good Democrat, but I really don’t care if he’s a different man. If someone killed my parents, I’d want them brought to justice even if it wasn’t until they were 102 and could barely walk. Again, it’s just different ideas of a justice system. Thanks, everyone for the discussion. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve devoted enough time to Nazis today. To the football.

By russian exile | June 18th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

ordeal_rules, don’t worry about it, unfortunately most sports fans are complete jackasses when it comes to reality. they live in their black & white world.

how many Iraqi’s have died because of Bush? About 1 million. What about American soldiers? About 3,000. What about lives not ended but torn apart, if not completely ruined, by the war (whether psychological problems or missing limbs, burnt bodies)… too many to count.

The Americans can end the conflict, but they don’t want to. The deaths keep the headlines busy while they steam millions of barrels of oil. You think they care about life? They don’t even care about American lives anymore, at least not when they are held responsible.. soldiers are supposed to die, remember.

Sure Bush isn’t Hitler, but simply because he isn’t driven by idealogy, he and his friends are driven by greed.

Every president has dirt on their hands, many have blood. But there are those like Chavez, there are those like Putin, and then there is George Bush who is on his own level. He has doomed not only millions of lives but America itself!

The vary basis of our democracy, the starting block, the voting ballot system, has been corrupted! Forget the problems with a representative democracy, and the electoral college, super delegates and all that wash, if the most simple essence of voting itself, is corrupted. Everything is on computers now! If you vote for an independent, it’ll probably come up as McCain. If you vote for Obama, it will probably come up at McCain. You get it? If that isn’t treason, I don’t know what is. And you people are here trying to defend Bush? Saying he’s not as bad as some Croatian police chief?! HAH. He’s made the Putin regime look like Mickey Mouse.

hang your heads in shame men

Posted from United States

By Jon | June 18th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Ian, I can see your point as a broader general symbolic gesture to show the rest of the world.

But I was just looking more narrowly at this particular case/guy and imagining his sentencing hearing…

“You’re going to jail, you murderer.”
“What? Huh? Speak up! And where are my diapers?”

Dumb.

But yeah, back to the football…

Go Germany. Go Spain. Go Holland. And go… uhh, I don’t care about either Croatia or Turkey, actually.

By Arild | July 11th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

The country where Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre lives i.e. Israel refused a request from the Polish government in 1998 to have a guy called Salomon Morel extradited on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired on war crimes.
In July 2005 the Poles tried once more but the request was again formally refused. The response rejected the more serious charges as being false, and again rejected extradition on the grounds that the statute of limitations against Morel had run out, and that Morel was in bad health.
In response, Ewa Koj, a prosecutor with the Polish government-run Institute of National Remembrance, criticized the decision saying:

“How can a statute of limitations run out on crimes against humanity? There should be one measure for judging war criminals, irrespective whether they are German, Israeli, or any other nationality”.

To the best of my knowledge, there was no response from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Efraim Zuroff regarding this matter. Hypocracy anyone?

Posted from United Kingdom

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