Barbie Trial -- Day 16 -- Three civil parties testify

15:51 President Cerdini calls a civil party, Mrs. Alice Arnault, née Zohar, to the stand; the civil party presents herself to the court 15:52 Mrs. Arnault describes her arrest in July 1944, by a member of the Gestapo; he explained to her that she had been denominated by someone called 'Le Boiteux,' and that there was a 5,000 franc prize on her head; she was quickly transferred to Montluc, and then sent on the August 11 transport to Drancy and then to Auschwitz; the witness was then transfered to a forced labor camp in Kratszau, where she worked in a factory 15:58 President Cerdini comments on Mrs. Arnault's inability to recognize the Germans who interrogated her; he asks whether she had knowledge of the existence of the camps prior to her own deportation, and she replies that she did 15:59 Prosecutor Iannucci comments on the civil party's denunciation by 'Le Boiteux,' explaining that his actual name was Goetzmann, and that with his mistress Maria Benamarah, he was responsible for the denunciations of many Jews in the area; both Goetzmann and Benamarah were sentenced to death following the Liberation 16:01 President Cerdini calls a recess 16:29 Cerdini reconvenes the hearing, and calls the next civil party to the stand; the civil party, Charlotte Wardy née Fass, presents herself to the court 16:30 Mrs. Wardy describes the arrest of herself and her family in Montélimar; she was transferred to Montluc, where she shared a cell with Mrs. Vansteenbergh; the civil party describes life at Montluc and Mrs. Vansteenbergh's unparalleled positivity and courage; Mrs. Wardy describes her departure on the transport of August 11, 1944, as well as the voyage to and arrival in Auschwitz; she describes Mengele's appearance at the roll call, and his selection of people for the gas chambers; Mrs. Wardy was sent to a work camp in Kratszau, and describes life there 16:50 The Attorney General asks the civil party to describe in more detail the conditions of travel in the transport of August 11 from Lyon; he asks Mrs. Wardy how she was able to identify the managers of the transport as SS and not Wehrmacht, and she replies that they all wore uniforms bearing SS insignias 16:55 Prosecutor Zelmati asks the civil party whether she knew during the transport that the train 'sorted' its passengers (i.e. men involved in the Resistance were let off at Struthof, female members of the Resistance at Ravensbruck, and the remaining passengers, the Jews, were kept onboard until Auschwitz); she replies that she knew people were let off at various stops, but that she did not interpret the stops in this manner and did not know that the Jews were bound for extermination 16:58 President Cerdini calls the next civil party, Mr. Anatole Lilienstein, to the stand; Mr. Lilienstein presents himself to the court 16:59 The civil party describes his arrest on July 11, 1944, his imprisonment at the Beaune fort, and then at Montluc; Mr. Lilienstein describes the August 11 transport, his arrival at Auschwitz, and his progressive comprehension of the existence of the gas chambers; the civil party describes the forced evacuation of Auschwitz on foot and then by train to Dachau via Gross-Rosen; the civil party's work commando at Dachau labored on a V2 ballistic missile runway 17:07 Mr. Lilienstein gives his account of the Vel d'Hiv raid in Paris, which he escaped in the scuffle but from which eight of his family members never returned 17:08 President Cerdini reads an earlier statement given by the civil party about the August 11 transport's selection upon arrival at Auschwitz 17:09 Prosecutor Iannucci asks the civil party why, over the course of such a long voyage, there were no attempts to escape the transport; Mr. Lilienstein describes the successful escape of a young man from his compartment 17:12 Defense attorney Vergès asks the civil party to comment on the responsibility of Barbie of the destination of the transport; discussion regarding the fact that the train's original destination was Drancy 17:17 Prosecutor Klarsfeld comments that the eventual destination of prisoners sent to Drancy was Auschwitz anyway, so whether or not Barbie gave the order for the August 11 transport to continue directly to Auschwitz, he knew that would be the inmates' eventual destination 17:17 End of tape