[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 136 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9842-S9843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. NELSON, of Florida (for himself, Ms. Snowe, and Mr. 
        Cardin):
  S. 1704. A bill to hold the surviving Nazi war criminals accountable 
for the war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity they 
committed during World War II, by encouraging foreign governments to 
more efficiently prosecute and extradite wanted criminals; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
World War II War Crimes Accountability Act of 2009. The bill seeks to 
hold the surviving Nazi war criminals accountable for their crimes by 
encouraging foreign governments to prosecute and extradite wanted 
criminals. I would like to thank my colleagues, Senators Snowe and 
Cardin, for supporting this important legislation.
  The atrocities committed by the Nazis and their allies during the 
Second World War were vast and have helped shape the modern concept of 
crimes against humanity. After the war, some of the perpetrators of 
these heinous crimes escaped justice and have been living out their 
days as free men.
  In an effort to bring these fugitives to justice, the Simon 
Wiesenthal Center and the Targum Shlishi Foundation of Miami, Florida 
launched ``Operation: Last Chance'' to help identify and facilitate the 
prosecution of the remaining unprosecuted Nazi war criminals and to 
assist governments in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.
  Among the Center's many open cases there is Alois Brunner, a key 
operative of Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for the deportation of 
47,000 Jews from Austria, 44,000 Jews from Greece, 23,500 Jews from 
France, and 14,000 Jews from Slovakia to Nazi death camps. He lived in 
Syria for decades and the Syrian government refused to

[[Page S9843]]

cooperate with international prosecution efforts. He was convicted in 
absentia for his crimes by France. He was born in 1912 and last seen in 
2001. While is it doubtful that he is still alive, there is no 
conclusive evidence of his death.
  Another case is that of Milivoj Asner, who served as the police chief 
of the city of Slavonska Pozega. During 1941 and 1942, Mr. Asner 
orchestrated the robbery, persecution and destruction of the local 
Serb, Jewish, and Gypsy communities, which culminated in the 
deportation of hundreds of civilians to Ustasha concentration camps, 
where most of the deportees were murdered. After his exposure in 
Operation: Last Chance, the former police chief later escaped once 
again to Klagenfurt, Austria where he currently resides.
  Within our own government, the Office of Special Investigations at 
the Justice Department is tasked with identifying, investigating and 
denying refuge in the United States to the Nazi persecutors. As a 
result, the U.S. is the only country in the world to have won an ``A'' 
rating from the Simon Wiesenthal Center for effectiveness in pursuing 
justice for Holocaust crimes.
  Yet despite the best efforts of the U.S. Government and tireless work 
of organizations like the Wiesenthal Center, some countries continue to 
harbor wanted Nazis and refuse to accept the extradition of Nazi 
criminals from other countries, including the U.S. This inaction is 
shameful.
  It is incumbent upon us as Americans to honor the memory of those 
killed in the Holocaust and to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the men 
and women who fought and died in World War II. The last surviving Nazi 
war criminals are dying off. We must do everything in our power, 
including equipping our own government with important tools, to bring 
these war criminals to justice before it is too late.
  The World War II War Crimes Accountability Act seeks to strengthen 
U.S. efforts by directing the Attorney General to assess a country's 
cooperation in prosecuting and extraditing war criminals when 
considering prospective countries for admission into the Visa Waiver 
Program. It also requires the President to issue an annual report 
describing such cooperation for countries seeking entry into or renewal 
of the Visa Waiver Program.
  I believe that giving the administration this added review process 
will help encourage foreign governments to prosecute and extradite 
wanted criminals. I hope that others will join me in cosponsoring this 
legislation and voting it into law.
  Time is of the essence. Surviving Nazi war criminals are becoming 
increasingly rare. We must do all that we can before it is too late.
                                 ______