Dinko Šakić - The Last Commander of Jasenovac

Dinko Šakić was the last commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp. His story is a story of justice that came half a century too late.

Who was he?

• Born: 8 September 1921, Studenci near Metković
• Occupation: Ustaša officer
• Rank: Satnik (captain)

Role in Jasenovac

Commander of Jasenovac III (Ciglana / the Brickworks) from May 1944 to April 1945. Under his command:

• At least 15,000-20,000 people were killed
• Systematic throat-cutting, throwing into the Sava river
• Liquidation of the camp in April 1945 - about 700 remaining prisoners killed

Escape (1945)

After the fall of the NDH in May 1945:

• Dinko Šakić fled to Austria
• With the help of the Vatican Ratlines (secret escape routes for Nazis and Ustaše)
• He obtained a false passport from the Vatican
• He went to Argentina in 1947.

Life in Argentina (1947-1998)

In Argentina he lived under his real name (!):

• He worked as the owner of a shop
• He married Nada Luburić, sister of Maks Luburić (the organiser of the camp system)
• He never went into hiding - he lived openly, even holding Ustaša gatherings
• He was part of the Ustaša émigré community in South America

The provocative interview (1998)

In April 1998, Dinko Šakić gave an interview to Argentine television: "I am proud that I was the commander of Jasenovac. There were no innocent people there. They were partisans, communists, enemies of Croatia. I would do the same again." This interview caused an international storm:

• The Simon Wiesenthal Center demanded extradition
• Jewish organisations in Argentina began to apply pressure
• The Croatian government came under pressure from the US and the EU

Extradition (1998)

• May 1998 - the Argentine police arrested Šakić
• October 1998 - extradition to Croatia
• The first time in history that Argentina extradited a war criminal

The trial in Zagreb (1999)

Date of the trial: February - October 1999.

• Charges:
  • Crimes against humanity
  • War crimes
  • Organisation of mass murder
• Evidence:
  • Testimonies of 26 surviving prisoners
  • Ustaša documents bearing his signature
  • Photographs (Šakić in uniform at Jasenovac)
  • His own 1998 interview (a confession)

The defence

Šakić defended himself: "I was only carrying out orders. I was a soldier. In the camp there were only political enemies, not innocent civilians." The prosecutor responded with photographs of children killed in Jasenovac: "This 2-year-old child - a political enemy? This newborn - a communist?"

The verdict (October 1999)

• The verdict: 20 years in prison
• Justification: Organisation and commission of crimes against humanity

Many consider that 20 years is too little for 15,000-20,000 dead. The Simon Wiesenthal Center criticised the sentence as "too lenient".

Public reaction

• Serbian victims and organisations - disappointed by the lenient sentence
• Jewish organisations - satisfied that he was convicted at all
• Some Croatian nationalists - protested, considering the trial "political"
• The international community - viewed positively that Croatia was trying war criminals

Life in prison

Dinko Šakić served his sentence in the prison in Lepoglava, Croatia:

• He never showed remorse
• He kept repeating: "I was a soldier, carrying out orders"
• He refused visits from journalists

Death (2008)

• Date: 20 July 2008.
• Cause: a heart attack in prison
• Served: 9 years out of 20 (he died before the end of his sentence)

The funeral

He was buried in Studenci, his birthplace. Those who came to the funeral included:

• Family
• About 200 people with Ustaša symbols - a scandal in the media
• Some carried flags of the NDH (which is banned in Croatia)
• The police arrested 7 people for Ustaša symbols

Why does this story matter?

• It showed that justice is possible, even after 50 years
• The first time Croatia tried an Ustaša criminal (1999)
• Proof of the existence of the Vatican Ratlines - how the Ustaše fled
• It revealed the division within Croatia - some regard him as a criminal, some as a "hero"

Nada Šakić (his wife)

Nadica Šakić (née Luburić), the wife of Dinko:

• Sister of Maks Luburić (the chief organiser of the camp system)
• Also extradited to Croatia in 1998.
• Acquitted of the charges (2005) - the court found a lack of evidence of her involvement
• She returned to Argentina in 2005.

"Justice that is delayed is not justice, but it is better than no justice at all." - Simon Wiesenthal on the trial of Dinko Šakić, 1999.