98-year-old Man Charged with Nazi Genocide After Killing 3,300 Lives
A 98-year-old man has been charged with supporting murder for his role in killing more than 3,300 people at a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, German authorities said on Friday, September 1, 2023.
The German man was a teenager when he worked as an SS guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp between July 1943 and February 1945.
Prosecutors accuse the man of supporting the cruel and heinous murder of thousands of prisoners as a member of the SS guard during that time.
Sachsenhausen is located north of Berlin.
More than 200,000 people were held at the concentration camp, including Jews, political prisoners, and other victims of Nazi persecution. Experts estimate that around 40,000 to 50,000 prisoners were murdered there.
A psychiatric examination showed that the 98-year-old man was not named and was fit to stand trial. However, given his young age during the alleged crimes, the juvenile court in Hanau will decide whether to open a trial.
The conviction of former Nazi bodyguard John Demjanjuk in 2011 set a precedent in German law, allowing others to be tried for their actions during the Holocaust.
Since then, Germany has faced a series of legal actions against surviving SS personnel.
However, due to the advanced age of the accused, many of the trials had to be canceled for health reasons.
Convictions have not always led to prison sentences. Some accused have died before they could begin serving their prison sentences.
