Klaus Barbie, “the Butcher of Lyon”, will go on trial May 11 in that same city which he ruled and terrorized as gestapo chief during the German occupation of France in World War II, it was announced here Tuesday. He is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Barbie has been confined to a maximum security prison, St. Luc Fort, in Lyon since he was taken into French custody after his ouster from Bolivia into French custody after his ouster from Bolivia in February 1983. Over the past four years, several dates have been set for his trial, only to be postponed as prosecution and defense lawyers sifted through thousands of documents and battled over legal technicalities.
A turning point occurred last year, when the Supreme Court ruled that crimes committed against resistance fighters could be considered crimes against humanity, not subject to the 20 year statute of limitations.
Barbie is held responsible for the murder of a French resistance leader as well as for the deportation to death camps of 894 Lyon civilians, most of them Jews, including more than 100 children.
A special courtroom is being enlarged in preparation for the trial. It will accommodate lawyers, the media, more than 100 individuals who have filed private charges against Barbie and an estimated 700 spectators. Police said stringent security measures would be taken during the trial. Only people with passes will be admitted to the courtroom.
Barbie will be defended by Jacques Verges. He is presently defending Lebanese terrorist George Ibrahim Abdullah, who is on trial in Paris for masterminding the 1984 murders of Israeli diplomat Yaakov Barsimantov and Col. Charles Ray, who was deputy military attache at the U.S. Embassy in Paris.
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