The Demjanjuk Affair: The Rise and Fall of a Show-trial

The trial of an alleged Nazi war-criminal arouses strong emotions, and the pressure to convict can become overwhelming. In the case of the man accused of being the Nazi war criminal "Ivan the Terrible" (John Demjanjuk, who was extradited from the USA in 1986 and held for over seven years before finally being cleared), the determination and dedication of the defence counsel prevented a miscarriage of justice. In spite of vilification in the media and an acid attack, and in spite of the court's apparent prejudice and its harassment of him, controversial lawyer Yoram Sheftel persevered until he had uncovered evidence in old KGB files to prove that Demjanjuk was not "Ivan the Terrible". In this book Sheftel provides an account of the trial and of the circumstances surrounding it.