Suspected war criminal John Demjanjuk has fired his chief defense lawyer, American attorney Mark O’Connor. O’Connor said he would appeal the firing at a special court session Sunday on grounds that his client may not have been aware of the consequences of the dismissal he signed on June 30.
The trial, which opened in Jerusalem district court last February, is presently recessed. It is scheduled to resume at the end of July to hear the case for the defense.
There has been tension and open disagreement between O’Connor and the other two members of the defense team, one an Israeli, the other an American. The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk is accused of being the Treblinka death camp guard known as “Ivan the Terrible.” The defense claims he is a victim of mistaken identity.
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