Hans Litten

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Hans Joachim Albert Litten (19 June 1903 – 5 February 1938) was a German attorney who represented opponents of the Nazis at important political trials between 1929 and 1932, defending the rights of workers during the Weimar Republic. During one trial in 1931, Litten subpoenaed Adolf Hitler to appear as a witness, and cross-examined him for three hours. After the Nazis took power in 1933, Litten was arrested when and sent to various concentration camps before committing suicide in Dachau in 1938. Hitler was so rattled by the trial that, years later, he would not allow Litten's name to be mentioned in his presence. In retaliation, Litten was arrested on the night of the Reichstag fire along with other progressive lawyers and leftists. Litten spent the rest of his life in several concentration camps, enduring torture and many interrogations. After five years and a move to Dachau, where his treatment worsened and he was cut off from all outside communication, he committed suicide. A number...

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