BERLIN – Prosecutors have reopened hundreds of dormant investigations of former Nazi death camp guards and others who might now be charged under a new precedent set by the conviction of retired U.S. autoworker John Demjanjuk, The Associated Press has learned.

Given the advanced age of all of the suspects -- the youngest are in their 80s -- the head of the German prosecutors' office dedicated to investigating Nazi war crimes told the AP that authorities are not even waiting until the Demjanjuk appeals process is over.

But the current generation of prosecutors and judges in Germany has shown a new willingness to pursue even the lower ranks, something applauded by Zuroff.

source



what do you think??? are they to old to prosecute or should they be charged???

Murder is a crime that should have no statute of limitations.
Now, getting down to the nitty-gritty - are they going after the privates or the captains and lieutenants?

I think at least they should be charged and where applicable criminal convictions be recorded.

At age 80+ though, I feel that the prosecutors have really left their run 60 years too late for effective punishment.

Originally Posted by namvet

what do you think??? are they to old to prosecute or should they be charged???

Well I may as well be the descenting voice in this argument so what do I think?
I think the German government is participating in a ludicrous and somewhat farcical exercise in political correctness, seriously how many millions will it take to hunt down, try and incarcerate half a dozen ageing German soldiers.

The reality is that when it came to breaches of the rules of war there is not a military involved that did not commit acts that had they have been on the losing side would not have seen them sent to the gallows, I think that if we are to continue to pursue these things then we that we stop pretending that the Allies were beyond reproach and start arresting Russians for their actions against German civilians and Axis POWs, Bomber Command members for deliberate attacks on civilian targets and the fighter crews for shooting down German rescue aircraft, the American Submarine fleet for machine gunning Japanese crews in the water etc. etc.

When do we finally end WW2?

My personal opinion is that unless they can get some of the major players this is little more than a publicity stunt.

If they can identify the ones who "pulled the trigger", buy all means try them. As for the rest, they will be receiving their judgement when they get to the pearly gates.

Round the bastards up and burn them alive.
Toss in a few apologists and revisionists for effect.

Big difference in a few events and a totalitarian policy and those who implemented it.

If they can trace them now one can't help but wonder why they did not do this years ago. I think it is all a bit of a waste of time many of them wont know just what is happening. Yes what they did was unforgivable and after nearly 70 years would justice be served locking a few senile old men who don't know what day it is. Then there is case of witnesses to confirm that they were there at the time and that they took part in these dreadful acts, or is every soldier in those units guilty by association and should be hung drawn and quartered.

Originally Posted by namvet

What do you think??? are they to old to prosecute or should they be charged???

Prosecute, they owe it to the victims.

There is and has never been a big secret as to who served as guards at the various concentration camps. The ones in East Germany and other Warsaw Bloc countries often served in his positions in their own militaries. So, finding them has never been a problem.
Why the sudden desire to locate and prosecute?
Perhaps to set aside public interest in the faltering economy?

Originally Posted by lvcabbie

There is and has never been a big secret as to who served as guards at the various concentration camps. The ones in East Germany and other Warsaw Bloc countries often served in his positions in their own militaries. So, finding them has never been a problem.
Why the sudden desire to locate and prosecute?
Perhaps to set aside public interest in the faltering economy?

my guess would be Israel is pushing them to locate these former Nazi's since Germany kept very accurate records of the war.