Toronto (September 27, 2018) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) commends the Federal Court of Canada for its decision to uphold the Canadian government’s revocation of Helmut Oberlander’s Canadian citizenship.

Oberlander, who served as an interpreter for the Nazis, lost his appeal today after being stripped of his citizenship four times and successfully appealing three times.

“Today’s court ruling brings us one step closer to justice,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “For years, Oberlander has remained in Canada enjoying the freedoms given to him under false pretense. The accused should not enjoy the benefit of Canadian citizenship if he falsified his war time past, and there should be no statute of limitation on the matter of alleged war crimes.”

Federal Court Judge Michael Phelan ruled that the government’s decision to revoke Oberlander’s citizenship was reasonable, since Oberlander “obtained his Canadian citizenship by false representation or by knowingly concealing material circumstances by failing to disclose involvement in the SS.”

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Media Contact:‍

Avital Borisovsky
Communications Associate  
416.864.9735 x 29
aborisovsky@fswc.ca