Spain today notified the Government here that it will extradite Dr. Reinhold Karl Vorberg, alleged accomplice of Dr. Werner Heyde in the Nazi “euthanasia” program, under which hundreds of thousands of persons allegedly mentally deficient-most of them Jews–were annihilated by the Nazi regime under “mercy killing” pretexts.
Dr. Heyce himself, who has been charged with direct participation in the “mercy” killing of more than 100, 000 Jews and others, is expected to be brought to trial in the State of Hesse, in May. The Provincial Court of Limburg today ordered the opening of proceedings against Heyde.
Dr. Vorberg fled from Bonn to Spain in 1960. He was arrested in Barcelona last December at the request of the West German Government, which demanded his extradition under a German-Spanish treaty dating from 1878. Dr. Fritz Bauer, the Hesse chief prosecutor, who had requested Government action for Vorberg’s extradition, expressed himself today as gratified by Madrid’s “extraordinarily quick” action in the case. However, authorities expressed doubt whether Vorberg will be here in time to be tried together with Heyde.
Dr. Heyde, who has been under arrest since November 1959 awaiting trial, escaped arrest for 14 years after the collapse of the Hitler regime by adopting the name of Dr. Franz Sawade. During that time and under his false name, he held official posts in the Schleswig-Holstein provincial government. After his arrest, an initial investigation indicated that at least 18 persons in administrative Jobs had conspired with him to hide his identity and elude Justice.
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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.
