letzrockexpress
Veteran Expediter
In 1986, a retired auto worker from my old neighborhood in Northeast Ohio was stripped of his american citizenship and deported to Israel on suspicion of being a sadistic death camp guard at Auschwitz during WWII. He was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to death in an Israeli court for being "Ivan The Terrible". He appealed, and in 1993 his sentence was rescinded based on the inability of alleged eyewitnesses to identify him. He eventually returned back to his home in Greater Cleveland where he has been harrassed ever since.
Today, at nearly 90 years of age, he has been taken from his home once again, this time by federal agents to stand trial in Germany on 29,000, yes I said 29,000 counts of murder as death camp guard.
My point is this: The guy was extradited once, almost 25 years ago, to Israel, who had been looking for a long time to find this "Ivan the Terrible". The man had been sentenced to death. He got a re-trial. He was exhonerated in the second trial. if there was any chance those Israelis really believed he was this Ivan, he would be long dead by now.What do the Germans have to prove by trying this old man again? He was a Ukrainian who was captured by the Germans during the war. He claims he was not working in the death camps. There is no proof that he did. Still they have not stopped trying to get this man for nearly 30 years! So what? Kill an old man who has bone disease, Diabetes and debiltating Arthritis? They hauled him out of his house on a stretcher with him moaning and crying in pain! What a waste of time by our Justice Dept. Is this an example of our tax dollars at work? Even if this were the guy they have been looking for for 6o some years, it's too late. He's almost dead as it is! At the very least it is a waste of tax payer money.
Today, at nearly 90 years of age, he has been taken from his home once again, this time by federal agents to stand trial in Germany on 29,000, yes I said 29,000 counts of murder as death camp guard.
My point is this: The guy was extradited once, almost 25 years ago, to Israel, who had been looking for a long time to find this "Ivan the Terrible". The man had been sentenced to death. He got a re-trial. He was exhonerated in the second trial. if there was any chance those Israelis really believed he was this Ivan, he would be long dead by now.What do the Germans have to prove by trying this old man again? He was a Ukrainian who was captured by the Germans during the war. He claims he was not working in the death camps. There is no proof that he did. Still they have not stopped trying to get this man for nearly 30 years! So what? Kill an old man who has bone disease, Diabetes and debiltating Arthritis? They hauled him out of his house on a stretcher with him moaning and crying in pain! What a waste of time by our Justice Dept. Is this an example of our tax dollars at work? Even if this were the guy they have been looking for for 6o some years, it's too late. He's almost dead as it is! At the very least it is a waste of tax payer money.
