A Holocaust Committee of Concerned Judges and Lawyers has been formed here to disseminate information and coordinate community action in connection with alleged Nazi war criminals living in the United States, many of them being brought to trial for the first time in over 30 years. There are presently about 80 active files, some in court.
A statement of the committee’s intentions and objective, made available to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, said one important purpose was “to enlighten the community regarding the legal and technical aspects of these cases.” Another is “to coordinate for the community the dates and places where hearings and trials are to be held.”
Other objective of the committee are “to demonstrate to the community that people do care and that the legal profession has a moral responsibility to the Holocaust; to inspire other groups to organize and follow this example of social responsibility; to give credence and meaning to school courses now being taught on the history of the Holocaust, by relating it to these trials; to stand as a legal bulwark against recurring racist/genocide movements; and to let the living Holocaust victims know that they have not been abandoned.”
MAIKOVSKIS CASE CONTINUES
Meanwhile, hearings in the case of Balislaus Maikovskis, accused of murdering 14,000 Jews in Latvia during World War II, resumed today in the Federal Court House in New York.
At today’s hearing, Federal District Court Judge Constance Motley did not seem to accept Maikovskis’ reasons why he should not be required to testify at a hearing on his case before the immigration and Naturalization Service. She said his use of the Fifth Amendment guarantee against self-incrimination did not apply since he was not being charged with having committed criminal acts in the United States.
Maikovskis’ claim, that since he was tried and sentenced to death in absentia by the Soviet Union, deporting him there would be a death sentence, was characterized as premature by Motley. Maikovskis said he could not be cross-examined by the government but the judge said this was the usual procedure in INS hearings.
Motley originally said she should give an oral ruling on the ease, but after a disturbance forced the clearing of the court room she said she would give her ruling in writing. Once the ruling is issued, the case goes back to the INS examiner.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
