Regional court in Hanau refuses to open trial against former concentration camp guard
The public prosecutor's office in Gießen indicted the former SS member in August 2023 for accessory to murder in over 3300 cases. He is alleged to have belonged to the guard unit of the camp located near Berlin between July 1943 and February 1945, where the Nazis tortured among others political opponents, Jews, Sinti and Roma, as well as homosexuals. Tens of thousands died from hunger and forced labor or were systematically murdered.
According to court records, a court-appointed expert concluded that the man, due to his psychological and physical condition, is now permanently unable to stand trial. The court followed these findings. At the time of the indictment, the public prosecutor assumed a limited capacity to stand trial. Since then, the condition of the man has reportedly worsened according to the court.
- The former SS member, indicted by the public prosecutor's office in Gießen, is claimed to have served as a concentration camp guard in Sachsenhausen, located near Berlin, between July 1943 and February 1945.
- This camp, operated by the Nazis, was infamous for the torture and murder of political opponents, Jews, Sinti and Roma, and homosexuals, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands due to hunger, forced labor, or systematic killings.
- Despite this indictment, the court-appointed expert has concluded that the man, due to his psychological and physical condition, is no longer capable of standing trial.
- The regional court in Berlin, following the expert's findings, determined that the man has a limited capacity to stand trial, given his current condition.
- Regrettably, the condition of the man has reportedly worsened over time, and the public prosecutor's office in Hanau, where the case is now being handled, is still pursuing the process under the NS law.
