Three of five Croatian nationals who are currently in custody in Klagenfurt, Austria for displaying banned WWII insignia during a memorial ceremony at Bleiburg in mid-May will go on trial in late June, a Klagenfurt court said on Wednesday.

One of the five accused will go on trial on June 19 and two will stand trial on June 29, court spokeswoman Eva Maria Jost-Draxl told Hina.

Their remand in custody was extended last week on the grounds that they might try to escape and repeat the crime they are charged with.

One of the accused has appealed the detention order.

The five accused are charged with using a Nazi salute and displaying Nazi SS insignia.

In Austria, displaying symbols relating to Nazi Germany is a punishable offence. Several Austrian members of the European Parliament have launched an initiative to extend the ban to include Nazi and fascist symbols from other countries as well.

This year’s commemoration in the southern Austrian town was held with unprecedented police presence, following a public debate after three Austrian MEPs called it a “platform for right-wing extremists”. The annual event commemorates civilians and soldiers loyal to the defeated Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) who were killed in the closing days of World War II.

The Croatian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that it is in contact with the detained Croatian nationals, their lawyers and families.

The Croatian Embassy has taken the necessary steps to ensure that the detained Croatian nationals have the necessary consular protection and to adequately protect their interests, said the Ministry.

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