The Soviet Government has officially supplied evidence in the trial here of Geag Heuser and 11 other ex-Nazis accused of murdering tens of thousands of Jews in the Minsk area during World War II. Some of the evidence, on films, was shown to the Jury here this weekend. As a result, Ego Geis, of Frankfurt, one of the defense attorneys, announced he is leaving for Moscow this week to see the original documents in the hands of Soviet officials.
The evidence shown the Jury thus far was contained in a 30-minute film sent here from Moscow, showing photographs of brutal treatment of Jews and picturing original documents ordering brutalities, signed by Heuser and Artur Wilke, one of his co-defendants in the trial.
The Soviet Foreign Ministry held a press conference for foreign Journalists in Moscow last week, detailing the evidence it has submitted against Heuser and his co-defendants, complaining that the prosecution here was ignoring that evidence. Some of the Russian evidence showed that, by April 1943, 130,000 of the 150,000 Jews in the Minsk area had “disappeared” under the German occupation of which Heuser was a part. Other evidence showed statements by German army men to the effect that Jews had been robbed of their valuables before being slaughtered by the group commanded by Heuser.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.