A suspected Nazi war criminal has been stripped of his Canadian citizenship by the federal government, who are now seeking to deport him, according to reports.
88-year-old Helmut Oberlander is accused of being part of a Nazi killing squad who allegedly murdered thousands in the former Soviet Union, during World War II.
Oberlander maintains that he was merely a translator for the unit and was forced to join, and at no time was involved in any murders.
Oberlander previously had his citizenship revoked in 2007 by the Canadian government, after fighting a deportation case since 1995. Canada’s appeals court asked the government to review their decision, after which it was decided to uphold the revoking.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the government was,
88-year-old Helmut Oberlander is accused of being part of a Nazi killing squad who allegedly murdered thousands in the former Soviet Union, during World War II.
Oberlander maintains that he was merely a translator for the unit and was forced to join, and at no time was involved in any murders.
Oberlander previously had his citizenship revoked in 2007 by the Canadian government, after fighting a deportation case since 1995. Canada’s appeals court asked the government to review their decision, after which it was decided to uphold the revoking.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the government was,
“committed to identifying and deporting from Canada people involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
This includes Nazis who perpetrated reprehensible crimes during the Holocaust, as these criminals must face justice for their horrific crimes”The decision was applauded by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) with President and CEO Avi Benlolo commenting,
“As a human rights advocacy organization grounded in the lessons of the Holocaust, we are so pleased to see the Canadian government taking steps to deport one of the few remaining Nazis in Canada - there is no statute of limitations for those who participated in genocide,"
"Having led a delegation of Holocaust survivors to Ottawa to speak to Minister Kenney in April, it is particularly gratifying to see our concerns that Oberlander, a suspected Nazi living freely in this country, have been taken seriously and acted upon in this manne”Oberlander is considered "one of the top 10 most wanted Nazi war crimes suspects worldwide" by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
