Dr. Mikhail Stern went on trial yesterday in Vinnitsa. Ukraine, on charges of accepting bribes from patients to obtain illegal drugs for them. Foreign newsmen were barred from the court but friends and relatives who were admitted said that six of the seven prosecution witnesses retracted their statements against Dr. Stern. They told the court, according to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, that the 56-year-old doctor had often refused to accept fees from patients but that they had insisted he accept some taken gifts in appreciation for his kindness, patience and expert treatment.
Dr. Stern pleaded not guilty to charges of the Soviet Penal Code on bribery which carry a maximum penalty of death. He also has been charged under the Ukrainian Penal Code which has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and exile of up to five years.
Stern’s case is widely viewed as an attempt to intimidate other Soviet Jews from applying for visas. Doctors and political leaders in Britain and the U.S. have demanded that the Soviet Union free Dr. Stern on grounds of justice and humanity. He is suffering from tuberculosis, a heart condition and internal bleeding. He was arrested last May after his two sons applied for exit visas.
According to as eye-witness account received by the NCSJ, Dr. Stern said he would boycott the trial if the authorities adhered to a ban against his wife and sons being admitted to the trial.
The first seven witnesses, all practically illiterate peasants, were called yesterday. According to the report, it was obvious from the way they presented their testimony that they had been coached to learn it by heart and repeating verbatim what they had been taught by the investigator. Nevertheless, six of the seven changed their testimony to swear that Dr. Stern had for a long time refused to accept payment for treating them.
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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.
