Germany to put former Auschwitz orderly on trial
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
02.12.2015 09:14
An appeal court in Germany has overturned a previous ruling that had blocked the trial of a 95-year-old former orderly at the Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz on account of the defendant's poor health.
Baracken im deutschen KZ-AuschwitzBild: wikicommons/Dawid Galus
Hubert Z. (surname withheld under German privacy laws) stands accused of accessory to the murder of at least 3681 people at the camp, which was located in Nazi-German-occupied Poland.
The court in Rostock, north-eastern Germany, has ruled that the 95-year-old is fit to stand trial, noting that the defendant can be given regular breaks during the hearing, and that medical aid will be on hand.
The defendant was an SS sergeant, and he served as a paramedic at the Nazi German death camp from October 1943 to January 1944.
Prosecutors have not accused Hubert Z. of being directly involved in any killings at the site, but they claim that he is still culpable.
“Given his awareness, the accused lent support to the organization of the camp and was thereby both involved in and promoted the extermination,” prosecutors argued in an earlier statement.
Over 1.1 million inmates, mostly European Jews, died at the death camp. Other victims included non-Jewish Poles, Roma and Sinti, and Soviet POWs. (nh/rk)
Source: dw.com/PAP