Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network 11:24 a.m. CST January 20, 2016
A 95-year-old former Auschwitz medic will go on trial in February for crimes he allegedly committed during World War II.
Hubert Zafke was a sergeant at the Nazis’ Auschwitz death camp from October 1943 to January 1944, according to court documents, Reuters reported.
He worked as a medical orderly from Aug. 15, 1944, to Sept. 14, 1944, according to AFP. Zafke is charged with being an accessory to at least 3,681 murders that occurred during that one month period in 1944, according to AFP news.
"Given his awareness, the accused lent support to the organization of the camp and was thereby both involved in and advanced the extermination," prosecutors said in an earlier statement, AFP reported.
An estimated 960,000 Jews were killed at Auschwitz, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz and nearby Birkenau near Krakow in south-central Poland in January 1945.
During the time Zafke served as a medic, at least 14 trains carrying prisoners, including Anne Frank, arrived at the camp, AFP reported.
In December, a court ruled that Zafke was healthy enough for trial, though the Neubrandenburg state court said Monday they will decide whether he is fit to stand trial and travel, AP reported.
The proceedings are expected on Feb. 29 and will run through March in Germany, AFP reported.
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