A 51-year-old Croatian national was given a suspended prison sentence of 15 months by a court in Klagenfurt, Austria, for using the Nazi salute at the Bleiburg commemoration for victims of Communist crimes in May.

The man pleaded guilty, but warned that he had been drunk, as shown by an alcohol test after his arrest. He said that he gave the Nazi salute after seeing a Croatian flag with World War II-era Ustasha insignia. He explained that his father and uncle had been members of Ustasha forces, and added that he regretted his act.

The judge said the sentence was suspended because the defendant expressed regret and because he had been under the influence of alcohol.

“Further custody is no longer needed, because the defendant has already spent more than a month in detention,” Judge Michaela Sanin said. The ruling is not final.

This is the first of three cases that refer to the display of banned symbols at this year’s commemoration at Bleiburg. The other two cases are scheduled before court on June 29.

Five Croatian nationals have been indicted for giving the Nazi salute and displaying insignia of the Nazi SS units at the commemoration.

This year’s event at Bleiburg drew more attention in the Austrian public than ever before, especially with regard to possible violations of the law banning the display of Nazi symbols.

Several Austrian members of the European Parliament have launched an initiative for the law to include symbols of the Ustasha regime among the banned symbols.

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