95-year-old to be tried on Auschwitz murder allegations

[Wagriff]

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.

[Larboard]

First of all, he didn't do it. Second, only following orders. And he's a medic, how do we know he personally ever killed anyone, maybe he helped people? But it's not murder they're after, just a rather large number of accessory to murder charges!

It's nice they're trying him now, at 95... and let me guess, he's been on a pension "for his service" for the last twenty years?

Showboating...

As an aside, are they looking for all of the ex Reichsbahn employees who drove the trains, are they looking for the guys who laid and maintained the track?

[Wagriff]

He also suffers from dementia. He's lucky...a few months ago, they charged a 91 year old woman with complicity in the murders of at least 260,000 for being a telegraph operator at Auschwitz from April to July 1944. She is being tried in Juvenile court, as she was under 21 when she worked there...
Oskar Groening,93, was just recently sentenced to 4 years in prison for being a guard in Auschwitz. On 15 July 2015 he was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 Jews. His job was to search luggage for money, which he was required to turn over to Berlin. At his trial, he gave some odd and bizarre testimony as to what he said he saw.

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

A typical example of how the German authorities have been exceptionally slow to bring legal proceedings against former camp staff. As to whether he is guilty of anything, I will leave that up to the judge to decide as he will have the evidence (or lack of) in front of him/her! Leon.

[CARL]

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[Larboard]

The prosecutions seem almost pointless, but it does serve to remind people of what happened.

I think what Carl has posted means "Too little, too late"...

[aurelius180]

Late, but not too late.

It's a slogan for the Operation Last Chance II project by the Wiesenthal Center to prosecute those who have not yet been prosecuted for war crimes in Germany.

[Gunny Hartmann]

Late, but not too late.

It's a slogan for the Operation Last Chance II project by the Wiesenthal Center to prosecute those who have not yet been prosecuted for war crimes in Germany.

The posters were everywhere in Berlin the last time i visited in 2013!..