Rumanian Court Sentences General and Nine Others to Life Imprisonment for Jassy Pogrom

General Gheorghe Stavrescu, former Rumanian Army commander of the Jassy garrison, was this week-end sentenced by the Bucharest Appellate Court to life imprisonment with hard labor for responsibility in the massacre of 14,000 Rumanian Jews in Jassy in June, 1941.

There were 57 defendants of whom only 33 were in court for sentencing. Four were acquitted and one died during the trial. The army men sentenced to a life term with Stavresou were Colonel Constantine Lupu, Colonel Cumitru Captaru, Colonel Ermil Maties and Aruel Triandas. Five other civilians received life terms. Six defendants were sentenced to 25 years’ hard Labor and others terms of imprisonment ranging down to five years.

The indictment charged that the Jews were killed within four days after Rumania and Germany attacked Russia, solely because they were Jews. Most of the Jews were killed by German and Rumanian troops and Rumanian police on the first day of the pogrom. Several thousand more died during a three-day journey from Jassy to nearby cities. They were packed into box-care without food and water and with insufficient air.