Trial session at Demjanjuk’s German trial shortened to allow defendant to rest

Demjanjuk attends shortened trial session

MUNICH — A court session at the trial of John Demjanjuk has been shortened to allow the defendant time to rest after receiving a blood transfusion.

Judge Ralph Alt ordered that Tuesday’s session be curtailed after the 90-year-old retired Ohio autoworker had the transfusion on Monday — something he has undergone about once a month.

Demjanjuk is being tried on 28,060 counts of accessory to murder related to his alleged activities as a guard at the Nazis’ Sobibor death camp. He denies the charges.

Death certificates of dozens of victims of Sobibor were read out on Tuesday — all relatives of co-plaintiffs who joined the case as allowed under German law.

Demjanjuk, wearing sunglasses, rested his right hand over the top of his head as the names were read out.