91-year-old woman has been charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder at Auschwitz

[Wagriff]

A 91-year-old woman has been charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder over allegations she was part of the Nazi SS serving in the Auschwitz death camp.

German prosecutors said that the woman, whose named was not disclosed due to the country’s privacy laws, is alleged to have served as a radio operator for the camp commandant from April to July 1944.

This makes her an accessory because her work helped ensure the camp functioned properly, prosecutors argue.


The woman is alleged to have been a radio operator for the SS at Auschwitz

A 94-year-old former SS sergeant at Auschwitz was convicted on the same reasoning earlier this year, according to the Associated Press.

Schleswig-Holstein prosecutors' spokesman Heinz Doellel said that there are no indications the woman is unfit for trial, though a court likely won't decide on whether to proceed with the case until next year.

Recent years have seen a final push to try to prosecute those involved in Nazi atrocities, since perpetrators are now dying out.

Earlier this year a 94-year-old former SS officer dubbed the “bookkeeper of Auschwitz” was handed a four-year jail sentence after being found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people.

Oskar Groening was responsible for collecting and examining people’s belongings as they arrived at the death camp, as well as removing and documenting any currency found.

Groening said that he admitted “moral guilt” but insisted that he was not personally responsible for any deaths, describing himself as a “small cog in the wheel” of the Nazi regime.

However, prosecutors said that by helping to ensure the smooth running of the camp, he was an accessory to the killings.

Dr Moshe Kantor, President of the EJC, said: “We welcome the announcement that yet another contributor to the Nazi atrocities will be held accountable for their actions. As with all previous trials of this nature, it reminds us of the importance not just of remembering the Nazi horrors but also of taking steps to protect society and our communities from the ever present danger of intolerance, anti-Semitism, racism and hate.”

[KMMorris]

Personally I think this is becoming a joke, they will be locking up any of the canteen staff if they are alive next...... And what good will putting a 91 year old women in jail do for the rest of her short life ?

[BOB COLEMAN]

Personally I think this is becoming a joke, they will be locking up any of the canteen staff if they are alive next...... And what good will putting a 91 year old women in jail do for the rest of her short life ?

It shows that the horrors inflicted by a criminal government will not be forgiven or forgotten. This woman has lived 70 years of free life which is something that was not given their victims. I feel no compassion or pity for those who helped the trains run on time.

[big ned]

It shows that the horrors inflicted by a criminal government will not be forgiven or forgotten. This woman has lived 70 years of free life which is something that was not given their victims. I feel no compassion or pity for those who helped the trains run on time.

I concur entirely. Let the law take it's course.

[seventyeighth]

There is no shortage of free war criminals today whose atrocities were committed in the last decade. Hopefully, the wait won't be that long.

[Wagriff]

One odd note, however....this woman is being tried as a Minor, since she was a teenager when she ran the telegraph.

[SteveR]

There is no shortage of free war criminals today whose atrocities were committed in the last decade. Hopefully, the wait won't be that long.

What does your statement have to do with the initial story about the former SS woman ?

[sandgroper]

I agree with everything Bob said.

[BOB COLEMAN]

There is no shortage of free war criminals today whose atrocities were committed in the last decade. Hopefully, the wait won't be that long.

Let's keep this thread on target and not add unrelated material. If this thread disintegrates, it will be immediately closed.

[Larboard]

It's hard to believe they're still looking for these people, or finding them, but they are? Supposedly, Eichmann never killed anyone himself either, "just following orders", but sometimes with a little too much zeal to come off as innocent later on down the road.













PS I hope this is on topic, as it relates to the penalties one should receive for their actions, whether just "a cog in the wheel" or someone actually dispatching people.