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Helmut Oberlander

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Helmut Oberlander, born 1924, is a Canadian resident whose citizenship has been revoked twice since 1995. The reason given is his work as a translator for a Nazi-era death squad.

Oberlander is a retired Waterloo, Ontario developer. His Canadian citizenship was restored the first time by the Federal Court of Appeal.

A federal judge ruled in 2001, on a balance of probabilities, that when he moved to Canada from Germany in 1954, Oberlander had lied about his unit membership.

Oberlander faces deportation hearings, the government's next stage in its policy toward those suspected in involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

His supporters claim that Oberlander has been a "model citizen" since coming to Canada. They argue that Oberlander was just 17 when he became an interpreter for Nazi unit in the Ukraine. Detractors Oberlander's critics say his contributions to the Nazi killing squad were significant and therefore worthy of action.

His lawyer, Eric Hafemann, called the cabinet decision flawed, as was the first revocation, and predicts a second reprieve. Hafemann will ask for a judicial review of the citizenship decision.

Sources

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