Dinko Sakic, Zagreb, Croatia
Dinko Sakic was the commander of Croatia’s Jasenovac concentration camp in 1944. Jasenovac, known as the “Auschwitz of the Balkans,” was where up to 85,000 inmates perished between 1941 and 1945. In 1999, the 78-year-old Sakic, the last known living commander of a concentration camp, was convicted by a Croatian court for crimes against humanity after a six-month trial. He was found responsible for the killings of 2,000 people during the months he ran the camp. He received a 20-year sentence, the maximum punishment.

Sakic had lived in Argentina from 1945, when he fled Croatia, until 1998, when he was extradited. During the trial, Sakic admitted to being the commander of Jasenovac and said he was proud of it. He pleaded not guilty, claiming that during the few months of his rule over the camp no crimes were committed. According to Reuters wire service, “He showed little visible remorse during the trial and even jeered at some inmates’ testimonies.” When the verdict was announced, he smiled and applauded, according to the New York Post.

Targum Shlishi helped support the Wiesenthal Center’s efforts in this case, and representatives from both organizations traveled to Croatia on two occasions, including the trial, to meet with officials and present evidence.

“The passage of time in no way diminishes the crimes committed or the responsibility of the perpetrator,” the Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff wrote in a description of the trial.

Evald Mikson, Reykjavik, Iceland
Evald Mikson, an Estonian living in Iceland, was accused of Nazi war crimes in conjunction with his position during World War II as the leader of an Estonian vigilante squad. Among the accusations were that he had murdered 30 people and was responsible for the deaths of an additional 150. He had changed his name to Edvald Hinriksson and was a well-known and popular figure in Iceland, who was known as “the father of Icelandic basketball”; his sons were members of the national soccer team.

Targum Shlishi provided funding for the Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff to travel to Iceland, present documentation to government officials, and meet with members of the local media. Targum Shlishi’s director, Aryeh Rubin, accompanied Dr. Zuroff on this trip and negotiated the appointment of a special prosecutor. In addition, Targum Shlishi worked with the Simon Wiesenthal Center on a letter-writing campaign to Icelandic Prime Minister David Oddsson in an effort to persuade the Icelandic government to take action. About 10,000 letters were sent, including a petition from 85 members of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). In 1993, the Icelandic government made the decision to pursue a criminal investigation of Mikson, who died before he could be brought to trial.

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