Alleged Nazi war criminal wins reprieve against deportation

[zenitzz]

A 92-year-old man who served with a Nazi death squad has won a fresh reprieve in his 20-year legal battle against deportation from Canada.

Helmut Oberlander was part of the Nazi Einsatzkommando 10a (Ek10a), which is estimated to have killed 23,000 civilians – mostly Jews – during the second world war.

The Ukrainian-born German, who joined the squad at the age of 17, has never been charged with any war crime but is included in the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s annual list of the most wanted Nazi war criminals.

Oberlander has been fighting to retain his Canadian citizenship since 1995, when the legal case against him began. He argues he only cooperated with the German unit under duress and merely served as a translator who never participated in any killings.

Canada’s federal court of appeal has now sent his case back to the country’s federal cabinet for reconsideration after it filed its third motion since 2001 to revoke his citizenship.

Oberlander arrived in Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later without disclosing his wartime experiences.

In a statement on Monday, Shimon Koffler Fogel, the head of Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Oberlander was “contriving to abuse the judicial system to avoid responsibility”.

He added that Oberlander “was a member of one of the most savage Nazi killing units ... That he clearly lied about his wartime past to fraudulently gain entry into this country is not in question – nor the legal consequences of falsification of immigration documents.

“He is here illegally and he ought to have his Canadian citizenship revoked.”

Oberlander’s lawyer, Ronald Poulton, told the National Post his client’s role in the death squad was “limited and forced”. His daughter, Irene Rooney, told reporters last year that recent months for her father had been “especially tough, since he lost his wife of 62 years to cancer, but he will carry on because he wants to see justice done and wants his good name restored”.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/23/alleged-nazi-war-criminal-helmut-oberlander-reprieve-deportation

[Moloch]

Damn, 92 years old?  Whats the point?  Let the guy die in peace

[doriangray]

He probably paid for his freedom with valuable intel, like many of his kind did post war.

[Snail2]

Simon Wiesenthal Centre must keep this business running as the number of nazi war criminals is dwindling while the numbers of holocaust victims and survivors (waiting for compensation) are growing every year .

[bryant.coleman]

Damn, 92 years old?  Whats the point?  Let the guy die in peace

Who are you to decide that? Oberlander was not a regular Nazi soldier. He was an Einsatzkommando. Most probably he murdered hundreds, if not thousands of people. His age is not important. Let's say, a murderer (25 or 30 years old) managed to escape after his crime, but was caught after 50 years. Are you going to let him walk free, saying that he is too old to stand the trials?

[hugoworld]

A 92-year-old man who served with a Nazi death squad has won a fresh reprieve in his 20-year legal battle against deportation from Canada.

Helmut Oberlander was part of the Nazi Einsatzkommando 10a (Ek10a), which is estimated to have killed 23,000 civilians – mostly Jews – during the second world war.

The Ukrainian-born German, who joined the squad at the age of 17, has never been charged with any war crime but is included in the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s annual list of the most wanted Nazi war criminals.

Oberlander has been fighting to retain his Canadian citizenship since 1995, when the legal case against him began. He argues he only cooperated with the German unit under duress and merely served as a translator who never participated in any killings.

Canada’s federal court of appeal has now sent his case back to the country’s federal cabinet for reconsideration after it filed its third motion since 2001 to revoke his citizenship.

Oberlander arrived in Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later without disclosing his wartime experiences.

In a statement on Monday, Shimon Koffler Fogel, the head of Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Oberlander was “contriving to abuse the judicial system to avoid responsibility”.

He added that Oberlander “was a member of one of the most savage Nazi killing units ... That he clearly lied about his wartime past to fraudulently gain entry into this country is not in question – nor the legal consequences of falsification of immigration documents.

“He is here illegally and he ought to have his Canadian citizenship revoked.”

Oberlander’s lawyer, Ronald Poulton, told the National Post his client’s role in the death squad was “limited and forced”. His daughter, Irene Rooney, told reporters last year that recent months for her father had been “especially tough, since he lost his wife of 62 years to cancer, but he will carry on because he wants to see justice done and wants his good name restored”.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/23/alleged-nazi-war-criminal-helmut-oberlander-reprieve-deportation

all the nazi shits must suffer from concequences of what they did so it is so fair to get kick out of canadian citizenship..