Karl Linnas
Encyclopedia
Karl Linnas was an Estonia
n who was sentenced to capital punishment during the Holocaust trials in Soviet Estonia
in 1961. He was later deported from the United States to the Soviet Union
. Linnas was tried in absentia
and sentenced to death by a Soviet court in 1962 on charges that during the German occupation, between 1941 and 1943, he was the commandant of a Nazi concentration camp at Tartu
and had personally shot innocent civilians—men, women and children. After Soviet armies pushed the Germans out of Estonia, Linnas fought with the German army and was wounded in 1944. Then he stayed in Displaced Persons camp
s in Germany until emigrating to the USA in 1951.
, New York
until 1979, when U.S. immigration officials charged him with making false statements to gain entry to the United States.
In 1981 the Federal District Court in Westbury, New York
stripped the 67-year-old Linnas of his US citizenship for having lied to immigration officials thirty years earlier about his Nazi
past. Linnas's crimes, the judge said, "were such as to offend the decency of any civilized society." A 1986 federal appeals court upheld his deportation order, ruling that the evidence against the defendant was "overwhelming and largely uncontroverted."
On April 20, 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a final appeal. At that point Linnas was flown to the Soviet Union
and almost three months later died in a prison hospital in the then Leningrad
while awaiting trial (July 2, 1987). Linnas became the second naturalized American to be sent to the Soviet Union to face a pending death sentence, after Feodor Fedorenko
.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n who was sentenced to capital punishment during the Holocaust trials in Soviet Estonia
Holocaust trials in Soviet Estonia
A number of Holocaust trials in Soviet Estonia were held in the 1960s.The best-known trial was brought in 1961, by the local Soviet authorities against Estonian collaborators who had participated in the execution of the Holocaust during the Nazi German occupation...
in 1961. He was later deported from the United States to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Linnas was tried in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
and sentenced to death by a Soviet court in 1962 on charges that during the German occupation, between 1941 and 1943, he was the commandant of a Nazi concentration camp at Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
and had personally shot innocent civilians—men, women and children. After Soviet armies pushed the Germans out of Estonia, Linnas fought with the German army and was wounded in 1944. Then he stayed in Displaced Persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
s in Germany until emigrating to the USA in 1951.
Deportation from the United States
Mr. Linnas worked as a land surveyor, living quietly in GreenlawnGreenlawn, New York
Greenlawn is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 13,286 at the 2000 census. Students primarily attend the Harborfields Central School District...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
until 1979, when U.S. immigration officials charged him with making false statements to gain entry to the United States.
In 1981 the Federal District Court in Westbury, New York
Westbury, New York
Westbury incorporated in 1932 as a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 15,146 at the 2010 census.The Village of Westbury is in the Town of North Hempstead....
stripped the 67-year-old Linnas of his US citizenship for having lied to immigration officials thirty years earlier about his Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
past. Linnas's crimes, the judge said, "were such as to offend the decency of any civilized society." A 1986 federal appeals court upheld his deportation order, ruling that the evidence against the defendant was "overwhelming and largely uncontroverted."
On April 20, 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a final appeal. At that point Linnas was flown to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and almost three months later died in a prison hospital in the then Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
while awaiting trial (July 2, 1987). Linnas became the second naturalized American to be sent to the Soviet Union to face a pending death sentence, after Feodor Fedorenko
Feodor Fedorenko
Feodor Fedorenko was a naturalized U.S. citizen, a former Soviet citizen, who was denaturalized, extradited to the USSR, sentenced there to death for treason and participation in the Holocaust and executed.-Biography:...
.