Demjanjuk Picked Up From Home for Likely Deportation
After the a Supreme Court judge rejected his case last week (May 8, 2009), John Demjanjuk decided to finally give up on his decades-old fight to resist deportation for prosecution related to Nazi war crimes. The 89-year-old retired autoworker was picked up from his Seven Hills, OH home by U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforsement agents Monday for an expected deportation to Germany, where officials claim he was involved in the murder of 29,000 at the Sobibor Nazi death camp in Poland.
Demjanjuk was transpoted from his home by an ambulance.
The inevitable deportation will put an end to the pursuit of Demanjanjuk, which has now been dragged out over several decades. It would also set the stage for what is likely to be a very closely watched and controversial German war crimes trial.
An arrest warrant has been issued by official in Berlin, who are charging Demjanjuk with being an accessory to the death of 29,000 civilians at Sobibor in 1943 during World War II. Demjanjuk's country of origin - Ukraine - has long contended that he was a prisoner of war rather than a death camp guard.
Demjanjuk was once accused by both Israel and the U.S. of being the notorious S.S. guard "Ivan the Terrible" at the Treblinka camp. Following a series of appeals, that allegation was dropped by both nations. Later, however, the allegations that he was a death camp guard at Sobibor arose.
Comments
Being one of many at the scene of a crime doesn't really prove anything - not to mention the clouds created by 65 years of elapsed time. Yet, there will be enormous political pressure for the German government to avoid an acquittal. The situation that occurred with the case in Israel 20+ years ago is about to be repeated. And sadly, such a weak or improper conviction will not honor the victims of the Holocaust.
When are the vengeful people who only think of Jews as victims going to look at the crimes of Israel against the Palastinians and the Lebanese who have been mercilessly bombed by their airforce recently and in 2006? I have relatives in Israel and justice is not on one side all the time. This old man did not commit the crimes he was accused of or Israel would not have acquitted him. Let us talk about Israel and drop this smoke screen with so called Nazis. Demjanjuk was captured by the Germans and forced to do horrible things as did other nationalities during the war,
Post new comment