Nazi´s, War Criminals, and Old Folks
Steve Kovacs
April 20, 2009
I live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, as does an accused former Nazi death camp guard, John Ivan Demjanjuk. The Demjanjuk case has been dragging on for 30 years and has been a topic of discussion locally and Nationwide for almost as long.
Demjanjuk is an 89-year-old retired autoworker who by all local accounts has been a friendly, gentle, nice person--at least while living in the U.S. However, in the last 30 years he has been intensively investigated for possible war crimes committed in the 1940's. Many in authority believed he was the infamous and cruel death camp guard Ivan the Terrible, who worked in a Death Camp in Poland under Nazi direction.
About 20 years ago, he was extradited to Israel and convicted of being Ivan the Terrible and having a hand in the killing of thousands of mostly Jewish captives. Israel found him guilty and sentenced him to death. However, the Israeli Supreme Court overturned the conviction and set him free. They released him not on a technicality, but because of lack of convincing evidence regarding his guilt. He returned to the Cleveland area and ever since has been investigated and investigated and then investigated some more.
Years later, Demjanjuk's U.S. citizenship was stripped because it was determined he lied on paperwork when he originally entered this country. The U.S tried to find a country who would accept him; however, there were no takers. Presently, Demjanjuk who is closing in on 90 years old is apparently quite ill with kidney disease and other illnesses.
A few months ago the German government filed an arrest warrant against him for being a guard at a death camp during the Holocaust and again, being involved in the death of thousands. Consequently, our government is ready to deport him to Germany to stand trial and actually, just a few days ago, authorities had him wrapped up on a mobile hospital bed while taking him to the airport for a non-stop flight to Germany. Just before he was to take off, a federal judge put a stop to the extradition because of his medical condition. Authorities will evaluate Demjanjuk in the next few weeks and see if he's off to Germany for a trial or if he can stay in the U.S.
Anyone who had a hand in the killing of millions of Jews, Gypsies and others during the Second World War atrocities should be held accountable. However, in the same breath I have to question some important points. After 30 years of investigation, an extradition, conviction and acquittal in Israel, and the continuing decades of investigations, now, at 89, with his terrible health, we're going to send him to Germany to stand trial?
I wonder if we are not being similar (in a minor sense) in our lack of humanity as were those horrible people who committed those atrocities. Are we being obsessive and blind to humanity? On a very controversial subject, I take the stand to let him be-leave him alone. If he's guilty, at his age and with his medical condition he's close to his real judgment day anyway.
Demjanjuk is an 89-year-old retired autoworker who by all local accounts has been a friendly, gentle, nice person--at least while living in the U.S. However, in the last 30 years he has been intensively investigated for possible war crimes committed in the 1940's. Many in authority believed he was the infamous and cruel death camp guard Ivan the Terrible, who worked in a Death Camp in Poland under Nazi direction.
About 20 years ago, he was extradited to Israel and convicted of being Ivan the Terrible and having a hand in the killing of thousands of mostly Jewish captives. Israel found him guilty and sentenced him to death. However, the Israeli Supreme Court overturned the conviction and set him free. They released him not on a technicality, but because of lack of convincing evidence regarding his guilt. He returned to the Cleveland area and ever since has been investigated and investigated and then investigated some more.
Years later, Demjanjuk's U.S. citizenship was stripped because it was determined he lied on paperwork when he originally entered this country. The U.S tried to find a country who would accept him; however, there were no takers. Presently, Demjanjuk who is closing in on 90 years old is apparently quite ill with kidney disease and other illnesses.
A few months ago the German government filed an arrest warrant against him for being a guard at a death camp during the Holocaust and again, being involved in the death of thousands. Consequently, our government is ready to deport him to Germany to stand trial and actually, just a few days ago, authorities had him wrapped up on a mobile hospital bed while taking him to the airport for a non-stop flight to Germany. Just before he was to take off, a federal judge put a stop to the extradition because of his medical condition. Authorities will evaluate Demjanjuk in the next few weeks and see if he's off to Germany for a trial or if he can stay in the U.S.
Anyone who had a hand in the killing of millions of Jews, Gypsies and others during the Second World War atrocities should be held accountable. However, in the same breath I have to question some important points. After 30 years of investigation, an extradition, conviction and acquittal in Israel, and the continuing decades of investigations, now, at 89, with his terrible health, we're going to send him to Germany to stand trial?
I wonder if we are not being similar (in a minor sense) in our lack of humanity as were those horrible people who committed those atrocities. Are we being obsessive and blind to humanity? On a very controversial subject, I take the stand to let him be-leave him alone. If he's guilty, at his age and with his medical condition he's close to his real judgment day anyway.
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