PLEASE NOTE: This book contains graphic description ... - HUNSOR

considered all the claims of Hungary in this respect, and have reduced our claims to the veryminimum."The Yugoslavian authorities had informed Foreign Minister Gyongyosi at the verybeginning of our democracy, that they plan157to decrease the Hungarian population of Bacska by 40 thousand. In the course of the events, theyprobably have realized that the eviction of these 40 thousand souls had already taken place bysimply murdering them......158FATAL COMEDY AT THE COURT OF JUSTICEIn the autumn of 1946, a short press report announced that the Hungarian governmentdelivered Generals Ferenc Szombathelyi, Grassy, Feketehalmy-Zeidner, Captain Marton Zoldyand Nagy, the late mayor, as war criminals to Yugoslavia. We were convinced that they wouldnot be content with their simple execution. In the Autumn of 1946, the population was informedin newspapers and through the radio, that the trials of the war criminals delivered to Yugoslaviawill be organized in the theatre-hall of the "Dom Kultura", the late Cultural Centre. There wasan open trial to which everyone would gain free admittance until the theatre hall was filled.By the time the trial started, the group of the accused was enlarged. It was joined byPopovic, the Representative of the National Assembly in Bacska and Perepatic, merchant fromNovi Sad, whose nickname was "cheap", which he was given for his advertisements displayed inthe movies" stated Gyorgy Szigeti in his memoirs."While the Hungarian officers were questioned about the raid, Popovic and Perepatichad to give account of their collaboration with the "Fascists during the occupation". They wantedto confiscate the huge property of the merchantThe late Lord Lieutenant, Peter Fernbach, was missing from the group of the accused,though everyone knew that the partisans had caught him. According to the spreading news, hewas tortured to death in prison.The judges assembling as a military court wore the uniform of the Titoist Army. ThePublic Prosecutor of Vojvodina, Dr. Gyetvai, the hangman of Hungarians levelled the charges.Everyone was aware from the beginning, that the trial would end in a bloody comedy.They have to die whatever happens, because the court is not after the truth, but declares a deathsentence prepared in advance. The only one who did not expect execution throughout the wholeprocedure was Perepatic, the merchant. It did not occur to him that his chief crime is hisproperty.