Helmut Oberlander

Helmut Oberlander
Born(1924-02-15)15 February 1924
Halbstadt, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died20 September 2021(2021-09-20) (aged 97)
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
AllegianceGermany
Service/branchSonderkommando 10a
Battles/warsWorld War II

Helmut Oberlander (15 February 1924 – 20 September 2021) was a naturalized Canadian citizen who was a member of the Einsatzgruppen death squads of Nazi Germany in the occupied Soviet Union during World War II.[1] Oberlander was on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals.[2][3] Beginning in 1994, the Government of Canada made several attempts to revoke Oberlander's citizenship on the basis of his misrepresenting his involvement with Nazi war crimes.[4]

In 2017, after the fourth attempt by the government to strip him of his citizenship, he lost his appeal, as the Federal Court found this revocation "reasonable",[5] and in 2019 the Federal Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed his motion to have his case re-opened.[6] On 5 December 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear Oberlander's appeal, clearing the way for his deportation.[7] In early 2020, however, Oberlander was still in Canada and had filed a new appeal against his planned deportation.[8][9] He later lost his appeal, which had him face a deportation hearing.[10] On or about 19 March 2021, the lawyer representing Oberlander filed a motion for a permanent stay of proceedings against his client.[11][12] The motion was denied by judge Denis Gascon who ruled that a permanent stay of immigration proceedings would be "premature" and called for an administrative review by the Immigration Department of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.[13]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference macleans was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Oberlander was not a Nazi: daughter". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Three new names on Wiesenthal Center's most-wanted Nazi list have Canadian links". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Post-2016-appeal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Ex-Nazi interpreter Helmut Oberlander loses appeal to retain citizenship". CBC. 27 September 2018.
  6. ^ Keung, Nicholas (25 April 2019). "Ex-Nazi death squad member loses fight to restore Canadian citizenship". Toronto Star. Retrieved 26 April 2019. "The mere fact a judge was involved in an earlier decision and made findings adverse to a party does not, in and of itself, give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias," wrote Justice Richard Boivin in a unanimous decision on behalf of colleagues Donald Rennie and Yves De Montigny in closing the file.
  7. ^ "Supreme Court won't hear appeal from former Nazi death squad interpreter". CBC. 5 December 2019.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference stillcanadian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference canadadeportationless was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Helmut Oberlander appeal dismissed, ex-Nazi death squad member moves a step closer to deportation". Global News. 21 October 2020.
  11. ^ Nicholson, Katie; Ho, Jason (18 March 2021). "Lawyer for ex-Nazi interpreter Helmut Oberlander files motion to permanently end deportation proceedings". CBC News.
  12. ^ "Ex-Nazi interpreter fights deportation". CBC. 19 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Oberlander v. Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) – Federal Court". decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca.