of more than 3500 counts of accessory to murder on Tuesday for serving at the Nazis' Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II.The man, who was identified by local media as Josef S., had denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners.In the trial, which opened in October, the centenarian said that he had worked as a farm labourer near Pasewalk in northeastern Germany during the period in question.
"You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," Lechtermann said. "You watched deported people being cruelly tortured and murdered there every day for three years."This undated file photo shows a roll call, in the early morning or late evening hours, at the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen in Oranienburg on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany.
For practical reasons, the trial was held in a gymnasium in Brandenburg/Havel, the 101-year-old's place of residence. The man was only fit to stand trial to a limited extent and was only able to participate in the trial for about two and a half hours each day. The process was interrupted several times for health reasons and hospital stays.
Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new site after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories.
In its early years, most inmates were either political prisoners or criminal convicts, but they also included some Jehovah's Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the so-called Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom.
He won't be truly judged by man alone. He will be judged by God too so may god have mercy on his soul,
Oh, just let him live in peace. Honestly, people are still looking for Nazis these days!
This is the problem with having a justice system designed to punish instead of rehabilitate. This man has lived his life. What lesson could he possibly learn from this?
I do not agree with what these bastards did during WW2, but I do have to ask what would have happened to him if he didn’t carry out these atrocities? Would he have been killed or tortured?
mans gonna die before he finishes the court case
80 years to make a judgement. Who go paid for the last 80 years to finalise this project? Who paid for it? ….it doesn’t sit right with me
What kind of data calculation is this?
Imagine how good a society it would be if Kid ***let's got a serve of justice... Oh we can't talk about that though.
Make him pay dues
Do you think George W Bush will be hunted down like this in his dying days
Let him be . He is 101 years old Let God be his judge.
lgbt gone mad
A bit late
BASSED!!! What a legend!
So getting someone for something done 80 odd years ago, what about the current grubby politicians around the world doing worse shit now? Nah that’s ok as they are the one’s making the rules I guess 👌🏻
Should of been no conviction at that age karma or the after life will punish him😎🙏🏻
He would have been 19 years old at the time. First job on the resume. 80 years later gets convicted for accepting the wrong job.
But did he get a letter from the Queen?
he grew up having hate drilled into him and forced to do awful things but without knowing exactly what he did or took part in makes it hard to judge him
The hypocrisy, operation paperclip where they brought over nazis to America, some who had committed horrific crimes, and they were given jobs, new names, homes etc etc. Now we have a guard being sentenced.
What are they going to achieve here life in prison
Surely time and money would be better spent elsewhere. Bit late. Was already in prison living to 101!
Never to late to convict someone of atrocities no matter how old they are..
Have they jailed Simon Stafrace, Fellow of RANZCP yet? I don't want him guiding cartoonists, and murdering more people by piracy tactics, horrible usurp of physics naming themselves physicians to the soul death of us all, is the fellows of RANZCP. Holocaust in Australia. That.
A bit late...
If he had refused to serve he knew his family would have been raped, tortured and murdered. What would you have done?
By that score, every soldier that served in the illegal invasion of Iraq should be charged with 151,000 counts of accessory to murder.
The irony of him wearing striped pyjamas is not lost.
Silly idea to come up with that verdict for an old man. He is already disable and in his deathbed. What where the authorities do within past 80 years for this simple man? The past is gone and the man no longer lives there. Honour old man and forgive him because of his age.
let him off, his 101 and wont have much longer in life plus he would of been forced to attend the nazi camps or most probably killed if didn't obey orders
Let him die in peace...come on
To live so long….
MikeStuchbery_
Is the man Ukrainian?
Is he from the White Christian community of Germans?
Too many Nazis around these days hopefully Putin going to clean up rubbish
His sins will be judged in after life, should have just let him be if he does not cause any trouble.
Oxygen thief needing to be ended asap
9NewsSyd How do these people who commit such atrocities live so long!
I’m only mad that he was able to live that long. Got a full life and then some after killing countless children
Thats honestly a bit unfair on the guy, hes 101 years old and hes being charged for attending nazi concentration camps. That was 80 years ago. People change. They just wanted to find a scapegoat for no reasin
Holy shit. Apparently there’s thousands of nazis living in South America also which is worth a look
Perhaps this needs to be shown in the Russian Federation? War crimes have no statute of limitations. Russian military committing war crimes WILL face justice.
they wait this long to convict him? what sentence is he serving he’s literally dying tomorrow
9NewsPerth Rot in hell😈
9NewsPerth Catastrophic legacy ☠️
I reckon he needs this
9NewsGoldCoast Scum - make him walk
Hope they give him life 😡
All you injection pushing cnuts take a good look at your futures
Disgraceful the war is over
9NewsMelb Nothing quite like swift justice. 👍
Hope these guys throw him on the ground
I'd be surprised if he goes to jail