FATAL COMEDY AT THE COURT OF JUSTICE
In the autumn of 1946, a short press report announced that the Hungarian government delivered Generals Ferenc Szombathelyi, Grassy, Feketehalmy-Zeidner, Captain Marton Zoldy and Nagy, the late mayor, as war criminals to Yugoslavia. We were convinced that they would not be content with their simple execution. In the Autumn of 1946, the population was informed in newspapers and through the radio, that the trials of the war criminals delivered to Yugoslavia will be organized in the theatre-hall of the "Dom Kultura", the late Cultural Centre. There was an 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 by Popovic, the Representative of the National Assembly in Bacska and Perepatic, merchant from Novi Sad, whose nickname was "cheap", which he was given for his advertisements displayed in the movies" stated Gyorgy Szigeti in his memoirs.
"While the Hungarian officers were questioned about the raid, Popovic and Perepatic had to give account of their collaboration with the "Fascists during the occupation". They wanted to confiscate the huge property of the merchant
The 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, he was tortured to death in prison.
The judges assembling as a military court wore the uniform of the Titoist Army. The Public 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 death sentence prepared in advance. The only one who did not expect execution throughout the whole procedure was Perepatic, the merchant. It did not occur to him that his chief crime is his property.
The appointed public defense attorney acted as prosecutor. The accused were thrown prey to the Serb population of Curog and Zabalj, who supported the partisans. The Hungarians who had
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fled; who had survived the partisans revenge could not participate in the trial due to their innocence. The atmosphere of the trial grew dense from anti-Hungarian hatred. According to the practice of communist jurisprudence, not the prosecutor who was to prove the guilt of the accused, but the latter has to prove his innocence.
The district and the hall was full of militiamen and OZNA agents. During the trial the encouraging shout echoed in every fifth minute: "Na vesab snjima! Hang them!"
After a one week trial, the accused were all sentenced to death in the name of the people. Szombathelyi, Feketehalmy, Grassy and Zoldy were hanged, Popovic, Perepatic and Nagy were were shot. Execution by hanging was to be public. Szombathelyi and Zoldy were hanged in front of the Serb Cemetery at Novi Sad, called "Almaska Groblje". Feketehalmy was executed in Curog, Grassy in Zabalj."
The new Vajdasagi Magyar Szo relates the statement of Ferenc Szombathelyi made by the right of the last word: "I do not feel guilty; my conscience is clear!" In spite of this the verdict pronounced on October 31, on the stage of the Cultural Centre was death for all the accused. Feketehalmy and Grassy scolded each other, Zoldy limped, which he had not done in the people's court of Budapest. According to the report of the Hungarian daily, Grassy and Zoldy were considered deserving of being hanged, and Szombathelyi of being shot. It seems as if the newspaper had forgotten about Feketehalmy-Czeydner.
There is some difference in the place and way of execution in the oral account we have. Grassy and Zoldy were hanged publicly in the end of Kiszacsi Street. The executions by shooting, including Szombathelyi's, according to the Vajdasagi Magyar Szo - were carried out without an audience in the Fort of Petervarad.
There are only unconfirmed reports today of the three generals execution; there were no known witnesses. These reports have been included in the memoirs of General Geza Lakatos, too. According to them, Ferenc Szombathelyi was impaled at Novi Sad. Feketehalmy at Curog and Grassy at Zabalj were buried in the ground alive up to the ears, and made even with the ground by a tank.
The Hungarian Department of Justice had delivered their guilty citizens to the Yugoslavians, on condition that the new sentence imposed on the condemned would not exceed the previous one in severity. This promise could have defended Szombathelyi, since his Hungarian sentence was only life imprisonment.
The Hungarian judicial authorities did not protest the "announcement" of the execution of their citizens.
Ennyit a magyar államról és a kommunistákról.
