A delegation seeking information that would lead to the arrest and extradition to West Germany of Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi war criminal who performed fatal medical experiments at Auschwitz, announced yesterday at a press conference that it will leave tomorrow for Paraguay, where Mengele is believed to live, as part of its effort to bring him to justice.
Brooklyn District Attorney Elizabeth Holtzman, Menachem Rosensaft, founding chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, Beate Klarsfeld, who has brought a number of Nazi criminals to justice, and Bishop Rene Valero, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, are the members of the delegation. They will meet with a number of Cabinet level Paraguayan officials during their trip, it was announced here. A meeting with President Alfredo Stroessner has been requested.
Mengele, the group noted, received Paraguayan citizenship in 1959, which was revoked in 1979. “There is strong reason to believe Mengele is in Paraguay,” Klarsfeld said. “It is important that he be located by Paraguayan authorities, arrested and extradited. We hope that the Paraguayan government will do all in its power to assist in this urgent mission.”
‘PIERCE THE SHIELD OF PROTECTION’
Holtzman said Mengele, “who is one of the most notorious murderers in history, must be brought to justice. If we raise our voices, we can pierce the shield of protection that surrounds this unspeakably cruel man.”
Valero said he was pleased to “join in these efforts to see that Mengele, who has committed injustices against the Judeo-Christian values and has shown total disregard for the dignity of human beings, be brought to justice.”
Mengele, the chief doctor at the Auschwitz concentration camp, ordered tens of thousands to the gas chambers and performed fatal medical experiments on babies and twins. He escaped punishment after World War II, living in Germany and Buenos Aires before going to Paraguay. Since 1962, West Germany has issued at least 10 requests to Paraguay for Mengele’s extradition. He is wanted in West Germany for crimes against humanity.
The American delegation members are travelling to Paraguay under the sponsorship of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. Discussions with the Paraguayan government concerning the trip have been taking place for several months.
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.
