The Demjanjuk trial has started (updated)

It certainly promises to be an interesting experience. Both Blatt and Schelvis will testify.

The good place to get info on this is http://www.spiegel.de/thema/john_demjanjuk. Cleveland Plain Dealer also seems to be a good source.

Here's a decent recap of Demjanjuk's history before this trial from them (although it gets numerous historical details incorrect, like saying that 1.5 million people were killed in Majdanek instead of about 80,000):

http://xmedia.live.advance.net/cleve/plaindealer/061908_demjanuk_pdf/Demjanjuk/DemjPart1.pdf
http://xmedia.live.advance.net/cleve/plaindealer/061908_demjanuk_pdf/Demjanjuk/DemjPart2.pdf
http://xmedia.live.advance.net/cleve/plaindealer/061908_demjanuk_pdf/Demjanjuk/DemjPart3.pdf
http://xmedia.live.advance.net/cleve/plaindealer/061908_demjanuk_pdf/Demjanjuk/DemjPart4.pdf

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Update 1: and so it begins. D's lawyer accuses the judges and prosecutors of arbitrariness - so many perpetrators were acquitted, and yet the man who just followed orders now must pay?

This argument is quite weak, though. If we go to JuNSV site and click on Tatort Sobibor, we will see these data:

Bauer, Erich Hermann Death sentence
Court:
LG Berlin 500508
KG 501111

Accused:
G., Hubert life sentence
K., Johann Acquittal
Court:
LG Frankfurt/M. 500825

Accused:
Fuc., Erich Fritz 4 Years
Court:
LG Hagen 661220

Accused:
Dub., Karl Werner 3 Years
Frenzel, Karl August Wilhelm Life sentence
Itt., Alfred 4 Years
Jüh., Robert Emil Franz Xaver Acquittal
Lac., Erich Gustav Willi Acquittal
Lambert, Erwin Hermann 3 Years
Sch., Hans-Heinz Friedrich Karl Acquittal
Unv., Heinrich Acquittal
Wol., Franz 8 Years
Zie., Ernst Acquittal
Court:
LG Hagen 661220
BGH 710325

Accused:
Stangl, Franz Died before sentence became final
Court:
LG Düsseldorf 701222


Angeklagte:
Gom., Hubert Urteil vom BGH aufgehoben, dann verhandlungsunfähig [eventually found unfit to stand trial]
Gerichtsentscheidungen:
LG Frankfurt/M. 831010
LG Frankfurt/M. 770708
BGH 800118
OLG Frankfurt/M. 840509


Angeklagte:
Frenzel, Karl August Wilhelm lebenslänglich [life sentence]
Gerichtsentscheidungen:
LG Hagen 851004

So quite a lot of the perpetrators went unpunished, but many were sentenced, even harshly. But some of these sentences are indeed obscenely lenient. It is my subjective opinion that if D. is sentenced to more than 1-2 years in prison, it will be a show of hypocrisy on the part of the German legal system which let so many German perpetrators go virtually unpunished.