Suspected Nazi guard allowed to stay in US

April 04, 2009|Associated Press

CLEVELAND - John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi death camp guard, marked his 89th birthday yesterday by winning a reprieve of his ordered deportation to Germany to face possible trial.

An immigration judge in Arlington, Va., issued the stay of a deportation expected during the weekend, said his son, John Demjanjuk Jr.

Immigration Judge Wayne Iskra yesterday ordered that Demjanjuk's deportation be put on hold until the court can rule on his request to reopen the US case that ordered his removal.

Authorities in Germany said Demjanjuk had been expected there by yesterday.

Demjanjuk, a retired autoworker who lives in the Cleveland suburb of Seven Hills, kept out of sight yesterday, as he has for years.

He has argued that his deportation would amount to torture, given his frail health.

A German arrest warrant issued in March accuses the Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk of 29,000 counts of acting as an accessory to murder at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland during World War II.

In Germany, Demjanjuk would have a chance to respond to the allegations before a judge. He denies involvement in any deaths.

In a three-page signed statement, Demjanjuk asked earlier in the week for asylum in the United States and said deporting him "will expose me to severe physical and mental pain."