Helmut Oberlander was a naturalized Canadian citizen who was a member of the Einsatzgruppen death squads of Nazi Germany in the occupied Soviet Union during World War II.
19 Facts About Helmut Oberlander
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On 5 December 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear Helmut Oberlander's appeal, clearing the way for his deportation.
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In early 2020 Helmut Oberlander was still in Canada and had filed a new appeal against his planned deportation.
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Helmut Oberlander later lost his appeal, which had him face a deportation hearing.
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On or about 19 March 2021, the lawyer representing Helmut Oberlander filed a motion for a permanent stay of proceedings against his client.
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Helmut Oberlander was born on 15 February 1924 in Halbstadt, or Molochna Colony, a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine, in 1924.
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Helmut Oberlander said his duties were limited to listening to and translating Russian radio transmissions, acting as an interpreter during interactions between the military and the local population, and guarding of military supplies, although the testimony of other Sk 10a members contradicted this.
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Helmut Oberlander lived, ate, travelled and worked full-time with the Sk 10a.
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Helmut Oberlander immigrated to Canada with his wife Margaret in 1954, where he ran a successful construction business and lived in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.
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On 8 May 1995, Helmut Oberlander agreed to return to Canada to avoid prosecution in the United States.
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On 28 February 2000, Judge Andrew MacKay reported his findings: he concluded that there is no evidence that Helmut Oberlander was involved, directly or indirectly, in committing any war crimes or any crimes against humanity.
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In 2012, Helmut Oberlander was again stripped of his citizenship through an Order in Council of the Government of Canada.
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Helmut Oberlander appealed the 2012 order to the Federal Court of Canada, which the court rejected in 2015.
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Helmut Oberlander then appealed the 2015 decision to the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal.
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Consequently, in order to deport Helmut Oberlander for trial, the government must first prove that he was a willing participant in death squad activities due to a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that guilt by association is not sufficient grounds to be considered a war criminal.
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Only the Federal Court of Appeal can hear an appeal of Phelan's decision and Helmut Oberlander did not have an automatic right to appeal the latest court decision but had to seek leave to appeal.
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On 5 December 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to grant Helmut Oberlander's leave to appeal the Federal Court decision, clearing the way for his deportation.
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In February 2020 Helmut Oberlander was still in Canada and had filed a new appeal against his planned deportation.
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Helmut Oberlander died at his home in Waterloo, Ontario, on 20 September 2021, at the age of 97.