MUNICH (AP) — One of the few survivors of the Sobibor Nazi death camp is testifying at the trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being one of the camp’s Ukrainian guards.
Thomas Blatt gave evidence Tuesday at a Munich state court where the 89-year-old retired U.S. autoworker is being tried on accusations he was an accessory to the murders of 27,900 people during the time he is alleged to have been at the camp.
Blatt says he does not remember Demjanjuk specifically and told judges he did not often have contact with the camp’s Ukrainian guards, who served under German supervisors.
But he says during work details outside the camp they were instrumental in keeping prisoners from fleeing.
The 82-year-old says that for prisoners of the camp, “every second we were threatened with death.”
