Trial of Mile Budak
The Trial of Mile Budak was the one-day trial of Mile Budak and a number of other members of the government of the Independent State of Croatia for high treason and war crimes on 6 June 1945 in Zagreb. The trial was held by the Military Court of the 2nd Army of Yugoslavia. Seven of the accused were executed the following day, and another died in prison.
Apprehension
[edit]Following the Independent State of Croatia evacuation to Austria, several of the accused were apprehended by the British in their occupation zone in Austria. They were subsequently held at the Spittal detainment camp. On 17 May the British sent Nikola MandiÄ, Julije Makanec and Pavao Canki from Spittal to a train headed to Zagreb.[1] They were joined en route by Nikola Steinfel and Mile Budak.[2]
The Indicted
[edit]- Mile Budak - Minister of Education (1941), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1943)
- Pavao Canki - Minister of Justice and Religion (1943-1945)
- Julije Makanec - Minister of Education (1943-1945)
- Nikola MandiÄ - Prime Minister (1943-1945)
- Ademaga MeÅ”iÄ - Doglavnik
- Lavoslav MiliÄ - General
- Bruno Nardelli - Governor
- Juraj Rukavina - UstaŔa Colonel
- Nikola Steinfel - Minister of the Armed Forces (1944-1945)
- Ivan VidnjeviÄ - President of "Mobile Kangoroo Court"[a]
Sentences
[edit]Executed 7 June
[edit]- Mile Budak
- Pavao Canki
- Julije Makanec
- Nikola MandiÄ
- Nikola Steinfel
- Juraj Rukavina
- Ivan VidnjeviÄ
Life imprisonment
[edit]- Ademaga MeÅ”iÄ (died at Stara GradiÅ”ka, 1945)
Twenty years imprisonment
[edit]- Lavoslav MiliÄ
- Bruno Nardelli
Notes
[edit]- ^ In Croatian the court was called 'mobilni prijeki sud'. 'Prijeki sud' is court who judges quickly without respecting regular court procedure.
- ^ MARTINA GRAHEK RAVANÄIÄ, IzruÄenja i sudbine zarobljenika smjeÅ”tenih u savezniÄkim logorima u svibnju 1945, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, Republika Hrvatska.
- ^ Nada KisiÄ KolanoviÄ. "PolitiÄki procesi u Hrvatskoj neposredno nakon Drugoga svjetskoga rata", 1945 - Razdjelnica hrvatske povijesti, Zbornik radova sa znanstvenog skupa u Hrvatskom institutu za povijest u Zagrebu 1-6, svibnja 2006, pp. 75-97, see pg. 85; ISBN 978-1-59017-673-3.