Convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk has asked Germany to help fund his lawsuit against the online edition of the German tabloid newspaper Bild.
Demjanjuk seeks $33,000 to sue Bild for its allegedly “derogatory and prejudiced” reporting on his trial, which ended last May with his conviction as an accomplice in the murders of 28,060 in the Nazi death camp Sobibor during World War II.
According to the German news agency DPA, Demjanjuk, 91, is suing the tabloid for using terms such as “war criminal,” “beast of the concentration camp” and “Nazi henchman.” Bild maintains that its reporting was appropriate.
Demjanjuk, who is in an elderly-care facility pending his appeal, reportedly has no financial resources. His recent attempts to regain U.S. citizenship have been rebuffed by a federal judge. — jta