Posted on 11/29/2005 2:52:42 PM PST by Graybeard58
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Returning an Ohio man accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard to his native Ukraine would be like throwing him "into a shark tank," his attorney argued in court Tuesday.
John Demjanjuk, an 85-year-old retired autoworker, has been fighting for nearly 30 years to stay in this country, and his attorney said he should not be deported to the Ukraine because he could face torture there.
But the Justice Department said Demjanjuk has not shown he would be mistreated.
Demjanjuk lost his U.S. citizenship after a judge ruled in 2002 that documents from World War II prove he was a Nazi guard at various death or forced labor camps. Tuesday's hearing in front of an immigration judge was part of a process for determining whether he will be deported.
The U.S. first tried to deport Demjanjuk in 1977, accusing him of being a notorious guard known as Ivan the Terrible at the Treblinka concentration camp. Demjanjuk was extradited to Israel, convicted and sentenced to hang, but the Israeli Supreme Court found that someone else apparently was Ivan.
Demjanjuk returned the United States and his U.S. citizenship was restored before being lifted again in 2002.
The current case is based on evidence uncovered by the Justice Department alleging he was a different guard. Demjanjuk has denied the allegations.
His attorney, John Broadley, said the U.S. government never sufficiently disavowed its previous claim that Demjanjuk was Ivan, and Demjanjuk fears he will be tortured if he returns to the Ukraine.
"We have a situation the U.S. government created, and now he still carries a blood scent of Ivan the Terrible and this would be like throwing him with that blood scent into a shark tank," Broadley said.
The Justice Department has suggested the judge consider deporting Demjanjuk to Ukraine, Poland or Germany. Broadley said there is no indication another country would be willing to accept him.
The judge is expected to issue a decision within 30 days.
Accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk, center, is confronted by reporters upon arriving at Federal Court in Cleveland, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005. Demjanjuk was appearing before an immigration judge on his filing that he should not be deported to the Ukraine because he could face torture there. At right is his former so-in-law, Ed Nishnic, and at rear is his son, John Demjanjuk Jr. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea Yanak)
If I remember correctly...
...he wasn't the sadistic "Ivan the Terrible" of Treblinka.
Unfortunately, the proof of this was that he was a sadistic guard at another camp.
"No, your honor, I didn't rape and murder that woman on 34th Street, and here's a videotape of me raping and murdering a woman on 37th Street to prove it."
Given that this guy has essentially been acquitted by the Israeli Supreme Court, what is the purpose of the continued legal wrangling?
Thought this might be of interest. If not, forgive the ping.
When did that happen?
The late Morton Downey, Jr. took up John's cause while he was with WERE in Cleveland (my home town). Mort found ALL KINDS of holes in the DOJ case against John and laid MOST of the blame at the feet of one Neil Scherer, then one of the top prosecutors for the OSI branch of DOJ with nearly unlimited power. It was only a MASSIVE PUBLIC OUTCRY -- spearheaded by Mort and John's family -- that finally got the case a somewhat fair hearing in the US District Court in Cleveland.
Until I read this post, I thought the poor man was finally going to be left alone to enjoy what remains of his now nearly ruined life.
Velkom to Amerika, komrad.
There were documents, provided by the Soviets, purporting to show that Demjanjuk was a guard in another camp, but there is zero evidence that Demjanjuk was a "saidistic guard" anywhere. Even if the Soviet documents are accepted, Demjanjuk could just as easily have been a cook or a perimeter guard with zero contact with prisoners as a "sadistic guard."
Frankly, it is a waste of taxpayer dollars going after this very old man.
IIRC, the proofs at the time were backed by full faith and credit of KGB archives -'nuff said.
Just a guess on my part, really.
You gat me. We hit the Google button at exactly the same time!
Number 7
Me too.
A rare positive moment in Pat Buchanan's life. He went to bat for him, too.
Yep. Leave him alone.
;^)
If there is resonable doubt regarding his innoncence then fine,leave him be.
But what if one of YOUR relatives was slaughtered or brutalized by him sixty years or so ago?Wouldn't you want to see justice done, even belatedly?
People are spending WAY TOO MUCH TIME going after eightsomething ex-nazis and NOT ENOUGH TIME going after twentysomething jihadists.
As fas as I am concerned Mr. Demjanjuk can enjoy his last few years on earth. He will be judged.
And frankly, in a fairly short time, God will sort it out and justice befitting his role, or non-role will be meted out.
No. He's going to die soon enough anyway.
It's ridiculous for the Justice Department of the United States to be chasing after 85 year old ex-Nazis, or ex-Russkies, or ex-anything.
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