Defense Calls to Suspend Trial of Suspected Nazi Guard (Demjanjuk)

Speigel Online ^ | Speigel Staff

[Western Phil]

A newly discovered FBI report has thrown into turmoil the trial in Munich of John Demjanjuk, an accused Nazi camp guard. The report argues that a central piece of evidence -- an SS identity card -- was faked by the KGB. Rumors of a counterfeit job aren't new, though.

-snip-

In the mid-1980s, ahead of an earlier trial in Israel, an FBI field office in Cleveland wrote a secret assessment of the ID card for US officials. The question at the time was whether to denaturalize Demjanjuk -- i.e. strip him of American citizenship -- and hand him to the Israelis.

This 1985 report argued that the Soviet Union may have counterfeited the card as a way of casting aspersions on anti-communist emigres during the Cold War. "Justice is ill-served in the prosecution of an American citizen on evidence which is not only normally inadmissible in a court of law, but based on evidence and allegations quite likely fabricated by the KGB," the FBI report reads.

US authorities nonetheless found reason to extradite him to Israel. Demjanjuk was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to death, but the Israeli Supreme Court later overturned the verdict because of certain witness testimony.

When a new case was brought by German officials in 2008, US courts again reviewed the evidence and again -- after a long struggle -- found reason to deport Demjanjuk.

-snip-

One historian who has reviewed documents for the case, Norman J.W. Goda, told AP that Moscow may well have falsified some Nazi documents during the Cold War, but not necessarily everything they handed to the United States.

"The Soviets did, in fact, use war crimes cases for propagandistic effect," he said, "but it was often the case that Moscow provided valid information as well."

-snip-

With reporting by Jan Friedmann

[Western Phil]

For those of you interested in the latest. The article does not mention that the reason that his earlier death sentence was overturned was the additional evidence which became available due to the fall of the Soviet Union. They faked the evidence that he was Ivan the Terrible. The currently considered ID seems to have also gone through Soviet hands. I don't know if this fellow was ever a concentration camp guard, but if one is looking for truth anything that passed through Soviet hands should not be regarded as being useful.

[JoeProBono]

[Jim from C-Town]

I do not know if this guy was guilty of anything involving the Nazis, but he and his family has been tormented by the Federal government for more than thirty years. If he was who they say he was, and he was proved NOT to be Ivan the Terrible of Triblisi, He was acting as a frced prison guard who was captured and conscripted by the Germans.

Just imagine if the powers that be looked into our presidents background with such zeal.

[fso301]

A forensic examination of paper and ink would be interesting.

[CORedneck]

Thanks to the Soviet Union/Russia and their deceit, we may not know the truth about Demjanjuk. At this point, he should be allowed to return to the US and let him die in peace.This is something that should be sorted out by God. Plus he should have been left alone after he returned from Israel.

Pretty shameful that our government targets someone ruthlessly if they decide to with their “infinite” resources just like the 83 year old gentleman who was recently found not guilty in the trial in Texas where it included a Cuban high official as a witnesses.

[DesertRhino]

Trying a Ukrainian in Munich,,, When former SS, Gestapo, and Stasi are living openly.
They say the German sense of humor is truly rich,, but odd. Maybe this is an example,,,

[DesertRhino]

Those Germans really did ride the short bus to interpersonal skill school, didn’t they? They invade Ukraine. (right after Stalin’s famine) Commit heartless mass murder.
(especially dirty since many Ukrainians innocently thought the Germans were their rescuers from Stalin)
SO some unlucky Ukrainian finds a way to survive. (even if it was Ivan the terrible)

And now,, Germans are sitting in judgement of the Ukrainian. Sometimes, you just got to laugh,,,

[Strk321]

I gotta tell you though; regardless of whether this guy is innocent or not, his lawyers did a masterful job of presenting him as a frail, sickly old man who couldn’t stand trial. I’d beg to differ on that.

http://www.briancuban.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/demjanjuk1.jpg

From this picture, I’d say he looks pretty darn good for his age. Check out that chest of his. If you can still look like a wrestler at 89, I think you’re healthy enough to be tried.

[Teacher317]

Another meaningless show trial for the Five Minute Hate crowd.

[dfwgator]

This was all about the Germans trying to say, “See, it just wasn’t us Germans that participated in the Holocaust.”

Seriously, what were Demjanjuk’s choices, he was a dead man in the Soviet Union, and if he didn’t ‘volunteer’ to be a guard, the Nazis would have killed him.