12 May 2011
Yad Vashem welcomes the conviction today of John Ivan Demjanjuk by a court in Germany.
Following is a statement by Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem:
While no trial can bring back those that were murdered, holding those responsible to justice has an important moral and educational role in society. The conviction today of Demjanuk underscores the fact that even though the policies of the “Final Solution” - the systematic murder of six million European Jews -- were set and carried out by the German Nazi regime, the murder could not have taken place without the participation of myriads of Europeans on many levels. Their role was also criminal. The trial and the verdict demonstrate that there is no statute of limitations on the crimes of the Holocaust, and served as a significant forum for raising awareness about the Holocaust. It provided an opportunity to highlight not only the events but to reaffirm individual responsibility for the atrocities that were committed during that time.
