FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2019
Press Release: CIJA and Holocaust Survivors Applaud Supreme Court of Canada’s Rejection of Oberlander Appeal
Ottawa, ON— The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants (CJHSD) applauded today’s decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to dismiss the appeal of Helmut Oberlander.
In late 2018, the Federal Court of Canada upheld the Government of Canada’s revocation of Helmut Oberlander’s citizenship. The court noted that Oberlander “had previously been found to have significantly misrepresented his wartime activities when he and his wife applied to enter Canada,” and that the government had “concluded that Mr. Oberlander voluntarily made a knowing and significant contribution to the crimes and criminal purpose of this SS killing squad, and that the defence of duress was not engaged.”
In response Edit Kuper, Co-President of the CJHSD made the following statement:
“The Supreme Court of Canada made the right decision by refusing to entertain yet another attempt by Oberlander to evade justice for the crimes he committed. As Holocaust Survivors and descendants, we are heartened that the government and courts stand with us in pursuing justice. Even now, we are haunted by the heinous crimes committed against us and our families. We are pained by the thought that there are still Nazi war criminals who conceal their past and live among us.”
Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO, CIJA, added:
“Mr Oberlander served in a Nazi death squad and lied about his past to fraudulently gain his Canadian citizenship. For 24 years, Oberlander has cynically abused Canada’s justice system to avoid prosecution in Germany. Anyone who cares about justice and human rights should join together in calling on the Government of Canada to immediately initiate the deportation process. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Additional Background
- The Supreme Court of Canada’s Judgements in Leave Applications can be found here.
- In 2016, CIJA helped mobilize thousands of Canadians to call on the Government of Canada to strip Oberlander of his Canadian citizenship and remove him from Canada.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is the advocacy agent of the Jewish Federations of Canada.
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