Deportation hearings against Mrs. Hermine Braunsteiner Ryan were suspended here today after it was learned that the Polish government has formally requested her extradition to face charges of alleged war crimes. Mrs. Ryan, 54, was a guard at the Maidanek concentration camp in Poland during World War II and is presently married to an American citizen.
Her U.S. citizenship, granted in 1963, was revoked in 1971 after it was determined that she had concealed the fact that she was convicted by an Austrian court in 1949 of torturing and mistreating concentration camp inmates. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service opened deportation proceedings against her shortly afterwards.
If extradited, Mrs. Ryan will face charges of participating in the selection of women and children for the Maidanek gas chambers, according to a Warsaw dispatch yesterday from the Polish news agency Pap. The report caused Mrs. Ryan’s attorney to request a postponement of the deportation hearings until April 24 to determine whether Poland had in fact made a formal extradition request.
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service informed the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that such a request has been made. According to unconfirmed reports, West German authorities may also ask for Mrs. Ryan’s extradition.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
