Anthony Sawoniuk - Misplaced Pages

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Anthony Sawoniuk, originally Andrei Andreeovich Sawoniuk (7 March 1921 – 6 November 2005) was a Polish born Nazi collaborator who emigrated to Britain after the war, and became the first person to be convicted under the UK's War Crimes Act 1991, in relation to the murder of Jews in his home town. He died in prison in Norwich, England. His adopted name is rendered Antoni Sawoniuk in Polish; his original name is spelt Андрэй Саванюк in Belarusian.

Biography

According to British newspapers the Independent and the Guardian Sawonuik was born the illegitimate son of a Polish mother in Domaczewo (now Damachava, Belarus), a spa town on the river Bug, at that time in Poland. Article 5 of the Polish citizenship Act of 1920 which came into force on 31 January 1920 states "Legitimate children acquire by birth their father´s citizenship. Illegitimate children acquire by birth their mother´s citizenship." His nickname was "Andrusha". The family were poor: his mother worked washing clothes while Sawonuik and his half-brother Nikolaj collected firewood to sell. Sawonuik also worked as a ‘sabbath goy’: a gentile employed by Orthodox Jews to carry out Sabbath tasks that were forbidden to them, such as lighting fires or chopping wood. He learnt basic Yiddish from his employers.

During World War II Sawonuik was a policeman, rising to the rank of Commandant and participated in the murdering of Jews.

In 1944 Sawoniuk fled westwards when the Red Army advanced towards Domaczewo and in July 1944 joined the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian). He deserted from the SS in November 1944 and changed sides, using his Polish birth certificate to join the 10th Hussar Regiment of the Polish II Corps. Szymon Serafinowicz, who was the first person charged under War Crimes Act 1991 for taking part in the holocaust, also served in the same unit .

After the war Sawoniuk settled in England in 1946, "posing as a Polish patriot". In 1951 he wrote a letter to his brother, Mikołaj, in Poland. The KGB, who already suspected him of being a war criminal, intercepted the letter and noted that he was now living in the UK. It was not until the 1980s that the KGB started sharing such information with the UK. However, even then, due to a misspelling of his name, it took until 1993 for authorities to realise that Sawoniuk, now working for British Rail, was one of the people on the KGB list and was duly arrested.

Sawoniuk was tried at the Old Bailey in London in 1999 on two specimen charges of murder with regard to the murder of Jews in his Nazi-occupied hometown during World War II. The jury found him guilty of one charge by unanimous decision and of the other by a ten to one majority. A further two charges of murder were withdrawn by the prosecution due to procedural errors with evidence. However, both of the murders of which Sawoniuk was convicted were individual elements of two group murders: in the first Sawoniuk, according to eyewitnesses, shot 15 Jews; in the second he shot three Jews. At his trial Sawoniuk said of his accusers "They are professional liars. They have criminal records. Some of the witnesses at the magistrates court have done 25 years, alcoholics. I was the best friend of the Jews." He also stated that "Everyone is telling lies. They have been told by the Russian KGB to say there was a ghetto. These devils came here with their lies against me." and "I have done no crime whatsoever. My conscience is clear. I killed no one. I would not dream of doing it. I am not a monster I am an ordinary working-class poor man." He was sentenced to life and trial judge Mr Justice Potts recommended that Sawoniuk should spend the rest of his life in jail.

He was the first and the only person in United Kingdom to be convicted under the War Crimes Act 1991.

From a legal perspective this case is interesting as he was prosecuted on the basis of universal jurisdiction - still a controversial matter in international law. It was also the first time that a British jury had travelled overseas to view the scene of a crime.

In 2000 the House of Lords refused him permission to appeal.

Sawoniuk died in Norwich Prison aged 84.

References

External links

Sawoniuk - a hidden life exposed (BBC)

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