Dr. Hans Wesemann, Nazi agent, will go on trial in Basle in the middle of April on charges of having deprived Berthold Jacob, German-Jewish refugee, of his freedom last March by abducting him from Swiss soil and turning him over to the Nazi authorities, it was learned here today.
The charges are for “deprivation of freedom” since abduction is not an indictable offences in Basle.
If convicted of having been responsible for Herr Jacob’s imprisonment for more than one week, Dr. Wesemann faces a maximum sentence of eight years. Minimum sentence for the offense, by Basle law, is six months.
Herr Jacob’s abduction a year ago created an international furor that finally ended with his release by the Nazis after having been held in jail seven months. He was released last September when the Swiss Government threatened to bring the issue before the World Court at The Hague. Switzerland contended Jacob’s kidnaping was in violation of Swiss sovereignty and demanded his release under the German-Swiss Treaty of Arbitration of 1921.
The Nazis had accused Jacob, a journalist, of being involved in anti-Nazi intrigues in Basle.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
