Ivan the Terrible (Treblinka guard)

"Ivan Marchenko" redirects here. For the politician, see Central Committee of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

"Ivan the Terrible" (born 1911) is the nickname given to a notorious guard at the Treblinka extermination camp during the Holocaust. The moniker alluded to Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, the infamous tsar of Russia. "Ivan the Terrible" gained international recognition following the 1986 John Demjanjuk case. By 1944, a cruel guard named "Ivan", sharing his distinct duties and extremely violent behavior with a guard named "Nicholas", was mentioned[1] in survivor literature (Rok w Treblince by Jankiel Wiernik, translated into English as A Year in Treblinka in 1945). Ukrainian–American John Demjanjuk was first accused of being Ivan the Terrible at the Treblinka concentration camp. Demjanjuk was found guilty of war crimes and was sentenced to death by hanging. Exculpatory material in the form of conflicting identifications from Soviet archives was subsequently released, identifying Ivan the Terrible as one Ivan Marchenko, leading the Supreme Court of Israel to acquit Demjanjuk in 1993 because of reasonable doubt.[2] Demjanjuk was later extradited to Germany where he was convicted in 2011 of war crimes for having served at Sobibor extermination camp. While awaiting his appeal hearing, Demjanjuk died at the age of 91 in a nursing home. Under German law, his guilt was revoked, reinforcing his presumed innocence.

  1. ^ Wiernik, Yankel (1945). "5 – An Inmate Who Escaped Tells the Day-To-Day Facts of One Year of His Torturous Experiences". A Year in Treblinka. New York: American Representation of the General Jewish Workers' Union of Poland.
  2. ^ Haberman, Clyde (July 30, 1993). "Acquital in Jerusalem: A Mixed Verdict; Court Decision Brings Pride to Many In Israel and Dissatisfaction to Others". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2021.