Joseph Schutz, previously identified only by his name ‘Joseph S.’, is a former Nazi SS guard and the oldest defendant in a World War II Jewish concentration camp warden.
Just days ago, Schutz, 101, went to court to face trial and conviction for allegedly conspiring to murder a Jew while working as a prison guard at a concentration camp. Ksenhausen in Oranienburg which is north of Berlin Germany between 1942-1945
Judge Udo Lechtermann of the City Court of Noiruppin The State of Brandenburg found Schutz guilty of the charges.
Schutz, who often uses files to hide his face during hearings and during camera appearances. claiming that he is innocent He had never committed a crime and had never known a horrific murder had taken place in the concentration camp he was attending.
But state prosecutors said Schutz knew and intended to join the massacre of 3,518 inmates in the camp. therefore demanded that he be sentenced to five years in prison.
during the trial, which began in October Last year, Schutz testified that he was working as an employee on a farm in Pasewalk. in the northeast of the country during the murder of a prisoner for which he was accused
However, the court found evidence proving that he had actually worked in concentration camps from 1942 to 1945 and was also a member of the Nazi party. civil affairs unit At that time he was 21 years old.
The court sentenced him to five years in prison on the offer of prosecutors. but because of his age and poor health It is possible that he may not actually have to serve in prison.
Prosecutors charged Schutz with reference to documents relating to the Nazi SS unit, which included his name as well as his date of birth and place of birth on the unit’s roster. along with several other documents.
Schutz’s trial lasted several months. This was partly due to the unfavorable health of the century-old former guard. He was able to attend hearings for only two and a half hours a day, and had to postpone trials several times when he fell ill or had health problems.
Even though the case has already been decided But Schutz’s lawyer confirmed that before hearing the verdict. If the court decides that his client is really guilty will have to file an appeal
The Sachsenhausen concentration camp was established in AD 1936 North of Berlin It was the new concentration camp and the first that Adolf Hitler had given full command to the SS division, which it was known as. ‘Nazi destroyers’ in the management of the camp system.
More than 200,000 prisoners were held in the camps during the year 1936-1945 in these numbers Tens of thousands of prisoners died for various reasons. since fasting abused by labor In addition, prisoners were taken for medical trials and used as victims to practice the SS’s killing tactics, such as target shooting, hanging and gassing.
No one could confirm the true number of the deceased. with an estimate of the maximum number of 100,000 people, but from researching academic evidence It is assumed that the real number is between 40,000-50,000 people
The conviction in Schutz’s case follows a project to prosecute those who participated in or assisted in the operation of the Jewish concentration camp for everyone who could still be found and alive. on charges of conspiracy to commit mass murder in a concentration camp
Sachsenhausen camp was liberated in April. 1945 by the USSR Army And after that, the camp area was turned into its own prison and concentration camp.
Source: aljazeera.com
Image credit: Getty Images.
