On this day April 25, 1988, former Nazi guard John Demjanjuk was sentenced to death by an Israeli court for war crimes committed during World War II. Holocaust survivors in Israel identified him as the brutal guard known as Ivan the Terrible at the Treblinka extermination camp.
The case was one of the most highly publicized war crimes trials since Nuremberg, sparking global debate over identity, justice, and the limits of legal certainty in historical prosecutions. Demjanjuk maintained his innocence throughout, claiming he was misidentified.
Fun fact: Based on new evidence showing Ivan the Terrible was likely someone else, Demjanjuk was released in 1993 by Israel’s Supreme Court, even though the judges stated there was still sufficient evidence to suggest he had participated in Nazi crimes.
Trivia question: What infamous nickname was given to the Nazi guard that Holocaust survivors claimed John Demjanjuk had been during World War II?
The case was one of the most highly publicized war crimes trials since Nuremberg, sparking global debate over identity, justice, and the limits of legal certainty in historical prosecutions. Demjanjuk maintained his innocence throughout, claiming he was misidentified.
Fun fact: Based on new evidence showing Ivan the Terrible was likely someone else, Demjanjuk was released in 1993 by Israel’s Supreme Court, even though the judges stated there was still sufficient evidence to suggest he had participated in Nazi crimes.
Trivia question: What infamous nickname was given to the Nazi guard that Holocaust survivors claimed John Demjanjuk had been during World War II?
