Artukovic Prosecutor Seeks Death Sentence

The prosecutor in the trial of accused war criminal Andrija Artukovic demanded Wednesday that the former interior minister of the Nazi puppet state of Croatia be sentenced to death.

The five-judge panel, meanwhile, rejected a defense motion made Tuesday that the court consider an outside medical opinion regarding Artukovic’s ability to stand trial for war crimes.

Artukovic, 86, a former Seal Beach resident, had been declared senile and legally blind by U.S. authorities before his extradition from the United States Feb. 12 for the trial.

The prosecution said charges that Artukovic ordered the murder of war prisoners and civilians in four separate instances had been amply proved during the trial, which began April 14.

“Mankind must believe in justice, and therefore the punishment handed down by this court must represent a warning to all in order to prevent the recurrence of such crimes,” prosecutor Ivanka Pintar-Gajer said in her final summation.

“In accordance with the proven facts regarding the committed criminal acts--the sole required punishment that this court must hand down is the death sentence,” Pintar-Gajer said.

Official documents say at least 700,000 people were murdered in the main Croatian concentration camp of Jasenovac alone during the time Artukovic occupied leading positions in the Croatian government. Some were killed because of their race, others because of their political beliefs. Most were Serbs, Jews and Gypsies.

The Independent State of Croatia was set up in 1941 in collaboration with the Nazis, and Artukovic was second in command after Croatian leader Ante Pavelic.

The prosecution presented accounts from 40 witnesses, Croatian fascist documents, documentary films and affidavits.

“Even the death sentence is not an adequate punishment for the bloody crimes Artukovic committed,” Pintar-Gajer said as Artukovic looked on impassively.

Throughout the trial, Artukovic has denied any knowledge of what went on in the camps and has pleaded that his memory has faded. He is being defended by three prominent Yugoslav lawyers known for taking on human rights cases involving individuals accused by the state. The defense team is expected to sum up its case today.