Paul Thomanek, 51-year-old laborer, was sentenced to life imprisonment here today, for the murder of 26 Jewish forced laborers near Tarnopol, Galicia, during World War II.
The court rejected the former SS trucker river’s plea that he had acted on orders, because there was evidence that he had volunteered to participate in the executions. The court had heard the testimony of more than 60 witnesses.
The bill of indictment accused Thomanek of murder, and complicity in the murder and manslaughter of 575 prisoners. In December, 1957, Thomanek had been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for the manslaughter of five Galician Jews, Later, the German Supreme Court ordered a retrial.
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.
