Convicted Nazi war criminal Ernst Heinrichsohn was released from prison today on 200,000 Marks bail pending the out-come of his appeal against the six-year sentence imposed by a Cologne court last month for his role in the deportation of French Jews and others to Nazi death camps during World War II. The boil was raised by 10 citizens of Buergstodt, the small Bavarian town where Heinrichsohn was mayor until his conviction.
The Cologne court which set the boil, ordered Heinrichsohn to report to the police station once a week and to surrender his passport. At the same time, it rejected a related plea to set free Martin Hagen and Kurt Lischka, Heinrichsohn’s co-defendants, who were sentenced to 12 and 10 years, respectively. All were former Gestapo officials in Paris.
In another development, the court in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, announced that the trial will begin shortly of Werner Best, 76, who was a deputy of Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich. Best is accused of the murders of 8700 persons in German occupied areas of Eastern Europe during the war where he organized the activities of the SS Einstazgruppen. He was arrested in 1972 but released on bail. His trial is expected to last 2-3 years during which time he will remain free.
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