93-year-old Nazi guard on trial for his role at Auschwitz

Summary

A former Nazi, Oscar Gröning, is on trial for 300,000 counts of accessory to murder for his role as an accountant at Auschwitz, despite not directly killing anyone. Prosecutors are exploring a new legal theory that workers like Gröning, who aided the Nazi death machine, can be held accountable for the Holocaust. Survivors, like Hedy Bohm, whose family was murdered at Auschwitz, testify against him. Although Gröning admits moral guilt, he denies legal responsibility. This trial marks a shift in how complicity in Nazi crimes is prosecuted, offering a rare opportunity for justice against those who were cogs in the machinery of death.

Takeaways

• 😀 A former Nazi, Oscar Gruening, is on trial for 300,000 counts of accessory to murder, held accountable for his role in the Holocaust.
• 😀 German prosecutors are using a new legal theory to charge aging Nazis, asserting that death camp workers can be held responsible even if they didn't directly kill anyone.
• 😀 Oscar Gruening, a 93-year-old former member of the Waffen SS, worked at Auschwitz and is accused of aiding in the Holocaust as an accountant of death.
• 😀 Gruening admits to moral guilt but denies legal responsibility, arguing that he was just a 'cog' in the Nazi murder machine.
• 😀 Hedy Baum, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, will testify against Gruening. She was deported to Auschwitz as a teenager and lost her parents in the camp.
• 😀 Hedy Baum recalls the heartbreaking moment she was separated from her mother and unaware that it was the road to the gas chambers and crematoriums.
• 😀 Gruening's role at Auschwitz was to collect valuables from victims, a job that some argue was integral to the Nazi machinery of death.
• 😀 This trial is unique because, for the first time, complicity in aiding the Nazi murder machine may be enough to convict, even without direct evidence of killing.
• 😀 In previous trials, including those at Nuremberg, only direct evidence of murder was sufficient for conviction, but now aiding and abetting are being considered as criminal actions.
• 😀 Germany's record in prosecuting Nazi war criminals has been criticized, with fewer than 50 out of over 6,000 surviving SS members ever convicted.

Q & A

What is Oscar Gruening being charged with in the trial?

Oscar Gruening is charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder for his involvement at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.

What is the new legal theory being pursued by German prosecutors?

German prosecutors are using a new legal theory that death camp workers can be held accountable for the Holocaust even if they didn't directly commit murders.

How old is Oscar Gruening, and what role did he play during the Holocaust?

Oscar Gruening is 93 years old and was a member of the Waffen SS, stationed at Auschwitz, where he worked as the 'bookkeeper of death,' collecting victims' valuables.

Who is Hedy Bohm, and what connection does she have to Oscar Gruening?

Hedy Bohm is an 86-year-old survivor of Auschwitz who was deported there as a teenager. Her parents were murdered in the camp, and she is testifying against Gruening, who worked at Auschwitz.

What was Hedy Bohm's experience upon arriving at Auschwitz?

Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Hedy Bohm was separated from her mother and never saw her again. Her mother was sent to the crematoriums and gas chambers.

What was Gruening's defense in court regarding his actions during the Holocaust?

Gruening argued that while he was morally guilty for his role in the Nazi system, he was not legally guilty as he did not directly kill anyone.

What does Gruening's defense suggest about the legal system in previous war crimes trials?

Gruening's defense suggests that previous war crimes trials required direct proof of involvement in killings, a standard that may not apply in his case, where complicity alone may suffice.

How has Germany's prosecution record for war crimes been described in the script?

Germany's prosecution record for war crimes has been criticized as unimpressive, with fewer than 50 convictions out of over 6,000 SS members alive at the end of World War II.

What is the significance of Gruening's trial in the broader context of war crimes justice?

Gruening's trial is significant because it may set a precedent where complicity in the Nazi murder machine is enough for legal accountability, even without direct evidence of killing.

What does Hedy Bohm think of Gruening's defense that he accepts moral guilt but not legal guilt?

Hedy Bohm rejects Gruening's defense, calling it a 'cop-out' and stating that moral guilt is not enough without legal consequences.