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

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 Mandić, 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

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 Mandić - Prime Minister (1943-1945)
Ademaga Mešić - Doglavnik
Lavoslav Milić - General
Bruno Nardelli - Governor
Juraj Rukavina - Ustaša Colonel
Nikola Steinfel - Minister of the Armed Forces (1944-1945)
Ivan Vidnjević - President of "Mobile Kangoroo Court"^[a]

Sentences

Executed 7 June

Mile Budak
Pavao Canki
Julije Makanec
Nikola Mandić
Nikola Steinfel
Juraj Rukavina
Ivan Vidnjević

Life imprisonment

Ademaga Mešić (died at Stara Gradiška, 1945)

Twenty years imprisonment

Lavoslav Milić
Bruno Nardelli

Notes

^ In Croatian the court was called 'mobilni prijeki sud'. 'Prijeki sud' is court who judges quickly without respecting regular court procedure.

^ MARTINA GRAHEK RAVANČIĆ, Izručenja i sudbine zarobljenika smještenih u savezničkim logorima u svibnju 1945, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, Republika Hrvatska.
^ 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, pp. 75-97, see pg. 85; ISBN 978-1-59017-673-3.

[3] In Croatian the court was called 'mobilni prijeki sud'. 'Prijeki sud' is court who judges quickly without respecting regular court procedure.

[1] MARTINA GRAHEK RAVANČIĆ, Izručenja i sudbine zarobljenika smještenih u savezničkim logorima u svibnju 1945, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, Republika Hrvatska.

[2] 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, pp. 75-97, see pg. 85; ISBN 978-1-59017-673-3.

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