Alleged war crimes suspect Kalejs starts battle to avoid extradition.LAWYERS for alleged Nazi war crimes suspect Konrad Kalejs today launched a legal battle against extradition from Australia to Latvia, where he faces genocide charges. In May, a magistrate ruled that Kalejs, aged 88, was eligible for surrender to Latvia to face the charges of genocide and war crimes. He is accused of being a guard at the Salaspils concentration camp near the Latvian capital, Riga, where Jews and Russian prisoners of war prisoners of war, in international law, persons captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection only to combatants. were executed, tortured or died of malnutrition. Jewish and human rights groups also claim Kalejs was an officer in the Arajs Kommando The Arajs Kommando (also: Sonderkommando Arajs), lead by SS-Sturmbannführer Viktors Arājs, was a unit of Latvian Auxiliary Police (German: Lettische Hilfspolizei) subordinated to the Nazi SD. , a Nazi-sponsored death squad responsible for the murder of about 30,000 Latvian Jews. Kalejs denies the allegations. The suspected war criminal spent some time living at Catthorpe Manor, a private nursing home in the village of Catthorpe near Rugby. The Israel-based Nazi hunters of the Simon Wiesenthal Simon Wiesenthal, KBE, (Buczacz, December 31, 1908 – Vienna, September 20, 2005) was an Austrian-Jewish architectural engineer who hunted down Nazi war criminals, after surviving the Holocaust. Centre tracked him to Catthorpe and called for Warwickshire Police Warwickshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It was known as Warwickshire Constabulary until 2001. It is the second smallest territorial police force in the United Kingdom after the City of London Police, with only to investigate. The-then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, was preparing to deport de·port tr.v. de·port·ed, de·port·ing, de·ports 1. To expel from a country. See Synonyms at banish. 2. To behave or conduct (oneself) in a given manner; comport. Kalejs when he fled to Australia. He became an Australian citizen after the war. His lawyers have now appealed against the extradition on technical grounds, saying the Latvian documents were not properly authenticated. They also argued that more evidence is needed to comply with an extradition treaty agreed with Latvia in 1924. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his lawyers, Kalejs is suffering from dementia and cancer as well as being almost deaf and legally blind. CAPTION(S): ACCUSED: Kalejs |
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