Helmut Oberlander and Federal Court of Appeal

Ukraine: Oberlander, an ethnic German born in Ukraine, has argued he had no choice when German forces conscripted him at age 17 in 1941 to serve as an interpreter in Einsatzkommando 10a, according to Toronto Star. The unit was part of a force responsible for killing more than two million people. In its decision, the Federal Court of Appeal set aside a ruling against Helmut Oberlander and ordered the government to take another look at the case. Most were civilians, and most were Jewish. Only then could a reasonable determination be made as to whether whatever harm he faced was more serious than the harm inflicted on others through his complicity. The appellant was entitled to a determination of the extent to which he made a significant and knowing contribution to the crime or criminal purpose of the Ek 10a, the Federal Court of Appeal said in its recent decision. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.