"Japanese War Criminals Should Have Been Punished Earlier," Says 'Nazi Hunter' Deployed to Ukraine

Veteran Who Found Over 100 Cases of Nazi War Crimes
"Russian War Criminals Have Nowhere to Hide"

Eli Rosenbaum, Former Director of the Special Secretariat. / Photo by American Federalist Association website

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The United States has deployed a 36-year veteran Department of Justice official, known as a 'Nazi hunter,' to investigate war crimes committed by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a press release that former Special Counsel Ilai Rosenbaum has been appointed as the head of the 'War Crimes Accountability Team,' a dedicated organization tasked with tracking and prosecuting war criminals in the Ukraine conflict.

As the former head of the Special Investigations Unit, Rosenbaum played a role in identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals who were living undercover in the United States.

According to CNN, he uncovered more than 100 cases related to Nazi war crimes, contributing to the revocation of U.S. citizenship and deportation of war criminals, earning him the reputation of a 'Nazi war crimes hunter.'

In addition, at a human rights award ceremony for surviving comfort women held at the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2000, he stated, "Japanese war criminals should have been punished long ago, but they were not," and expressed a tough stance on the issue of Japanese war criminals by saying, "We will thoroughly pursue them as if uncovering roof tiles."

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (left) and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova are meeting on the 21st (local time) in a Ukrainian village near the border with Poland. Krakovets / Photo by AP Yonhap News

Going forward, former Director Rosenbaum will coordinate efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice and the federal government to prosecute those responsible for Russia's war crimes and other atrocities.

The War Crimes Accountability Team will also include prosecutors from the Department of Justice's Human Rights Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP). Currently, thousands of allegations of Russian war crimes, including the Bucha massacre, have been reported in Ukraine.

The Department of Justice also announced plans to dispatch prosecutors to Ukraine and other locations to block Russia's attempts to evade sanctions.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Ukraine without prior notice on the same day to discuss issues related to identifying and prosecuting war criminals with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.

At the meeting, he said, "The United States and partner countries will work to ensure that those responsible for atrocities are held accountable," adding, "There is no place for war criminals to hide."