John Demjanjuk, the Nazi war criminal sentenced to death by an Israeli court, has decided to go on a hunger strike from his prison cell starting Monday, his lawyer said this week.
Demjanjuk, 73, has appealed his verdict to Israel’s High Court of Justice, and sources say a ruling in the long-running case should be issued within two months.
Monday marks the seventh anniversary of the day when Demjanjuk was extradited to Israel from the United States.
Demjanjuk has planned the hunger strike to protest his situation, said attorney Yoram Sheftel.
Demjanjuk claims the case against him is one of mistaken identity and that he never committed the crimes attributed to Ivan the Terrible, the notorious killer of Jews at the Treblinka death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
The former Cleveland autoworker has also complained about the lengthy amount of time that his trial and appeal has taken.
The last court session in the appeal was held June 9, 1992.
Sources at the Justice Ministry said the judges are now in the process of writing their ruling on the appeal.
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