Trial of Mile Budak

The Trial of Mile Budak was the one day show-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 June 6, 1945 in Zagreb. The trial was held by the Military Court of the II. Army of Yugoslavia. Over the course of the day-long trial witnesses were not called and evidence was not provided.[1] Executions of seven of the accused were held the following day.

Apprehension

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 May 17, the British sent Nikola Mandić, Julije Makanec and Pavao Canki from Spittal to a train headed to Zagreb.[2] They were joined on the way by Nikola Steinfel and Mile Budak.

The Indicted

  1. Mile Budak - Minister of Education (1941), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1943)
  2. Pavao Canki - Minister of Justice and Religion (1943-1945)
  3. Julije Makanec - Minister of Education (1943-1945)
  4. Nikola Mandić - Prime Minister (1943-1945)
  5. Ademaga Mešić - Doglavnik
  6. Lavoslav Milić - General
  7. Bruno Nardelli - Governor
  8. Juraj Rukavina - Ustaša Colonel
  9. Nikola Steinfel - Minister of the Armed Forces (1944-1945)
  10. Ivan Vidnjević - Jurist

Sentences

Executed June 7

  1. Mile Budak
  2. Pavao Canki
  3. Julije Makanec
  4. Nikola Mandić
  5. Nikola Steinfel
  6. Juraj Rukavina
  7. Ivan Vidnjević

Life imprisonment

  1. Ademaga Mešić (Subsequently died in Stara Gradiška in 1945)

Twenty years imprisonment

  1. Lavoslav Milić
  2. Bruno Nardelli

Notes

  1. ↑ Nada Kisić Kolanović. "Politički 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, p. 85.
  2. ↑ Izručenja i sudbine zarobljenika smještenih u savezničkim logorima u svibnju 1945.

References