97 years old Sandor Kepiro goes on trial in Hungary
May 6th, 2011 - 7:39 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattBudapest, May 6 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A 97-year-old Hungarian man has been charged with war crimes. Sandor Kepiro is accused of being directly responsible for the killing of about 30 Serbian civilians in 1942.
Kepiro was one of the commanders who took part in a raid in the Serbian town of Novi Sad. When the siege ended, about 1,200 Serbian civilians were killed. Kepiro has denied any wrongdoing.
Though he admitted being part of the soldiers who raided the town, he claims that the prosecutors were using him as a scapegoat because he is the last surviving witness to the incident. As he sat at the court, Kepiro placed the sign, “Murderers! the murderers of a 97-year-old man,” on his lap insisting that he is innocent.
When Kepiro appeared before the court, he looked too frail and had to be helped as he walked to his seat. His advanced age has affected his hearing so the questions and instructions have to be repeated into his ears by an assistant.
Judge Bela Varga presided over the case. Varga is expected to come out with a ruling on the 19th of May. If he is found guilty of the charges, he could spend the remainder of his life in jail.
Serbia’s war-crimes prosecutor and others were at the court room.
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Tags: assistant judge, bela varga, ears, hungarian man, hungary budapest, murderers, old man, prosecutors, remainder, sandor, scapegoat, serbian civilians, serbian town, war crimes prosecutor, witness, wrongdoing