Germany: 100-year-old Nazi guard goes on trial; accused of 3,518 war crimes

A 100-year-old man, accused of being an accessory to murder for serving in the Nazi army as a guard at Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin during World War II, went on trial in Germany on Thursday, October 7. As per The Associated Press, the trial of the defendant who is charged with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder, took place at the Neuruppin state court. The court then moved the proceedings to a prison sport hall in Brandenburg for organizational reasons. 

The suspect was identified as Josef S, adhering to the German privacy rules. He is alleged to have worked at Sachsenhausen between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing. His lawyer, Stefan Waterkamp, reportedly told the court that his client had no comment on the allegations against him.

Moreover, there are no formal pleas in the German legal system. Authorities have also said that the 100-year-old defendant is considered fit enough to stand the trial. Notably, the number of hours per day in the court in session has been limited.

Over 200,000 people held at Sachsenhausen

AP states that over 200,000 people were held at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1936 and 1945. Reportedly, tens of thousands of prisoners died of starvation, disease and forced labour among several other measures such as medical experiments and systematic extermination operations which further included shootings, hangings and even gassings.

The exact number of people who died at Sachsenhausen are varying, with the upper estimate reaching 100,000. Scholars, as per AP, have suggested figures of 40,000 to 50,000. As per AP, prosecutor Cyrill Klement told the court, "The defendant knowingly and willingly aided and abetted this at least by conscientiously performing guard duty, which was seamlessly integrated into the killing system."

Further, the survivor of Sachsenhausen, 100-year-old Leon Schwarzbaum, who attended the trial of the Nazi guard told DPA, "This is the last trial for my friends, acquaintances and my loved ones, who were murdered, in which the last guilty person can still be sentenced — hopefully." He also survived the Auschwitz death camp and Buchenwald concentration camp.

IMAGE: AP