'Accountant of Auschwitz' to go on trial in Germany in April

[webfact]

'Accountant of Auschwitz' to go on trial in Germany in April

BERLIN (AP) — A German court says a 93-year-old man dubbed the 'accountant of Auschwitz' will go on trial in April on allegations he was accessory to 300,000 murders as an SS guard at the Nazis' death camp.

The Lueneburg state court said Monday Oskar Groening's trial would open April 21.

Groening has openly talked about his time as a guard and says he witnessed atrocities but didn't commit any himself.

He's one of some 30 former Auschwitz guards against whom federal investigators in 2013 recommended that state prosecutors pursue charges.

Groening is accused of helping the Nazis economically, and supporting mass killings by processing the belongings stolen from camp victims.

More than 50 Holocaust survivors or victims' families have joined the case as co-plaintiffs and many are expected to attend the trial.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-03

[Scott]

Are the trials being held in an old-folks home?

[daveAustin]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

[ukrules]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

[Seastallion]

What's the guy's age got to do with it? He was possibly just a helpless cog in the wheel, but a trial is the thing to decide that. If guilty, then his age should have no bearing, unless he's been incarcerated for decades and thus served some semblance of a sentence already.

[konying]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

And why not?

[Scott]

Please stay on-topic.

[CMNightRider]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

And why not?

Maybe one day they will turn their attention to some of the allied forces...

What?? You're suggesting the WWII allied forces who fought for world peace be tried for war crimes? OMG!

[Baerboxer]

What's the guy's age got to do with it? He was possibly just a helpless cog in the wheel, but a trial is the thing to decide that. If guilty, then his age should have no bearing, unless he's been incarcerated for decades and thus served some semblance of a sentence already.

I agree. But many terrorists, classed as freedom fighters by their supporters. commit atrocities and go on to become revered presidents or leaders of their country.

So, let's have law and order for all - not just for those who the politically correct deem so at any given time.

Either forgive and forget, or don't forgive and punish. But not selective for political expediency.

[jaapfries]

Quiet frankly: I am disgusted at the comments made by many of the Posters here ! ! !

1. The Holocaust must NEVER be used in a humorous manner.

2. We're talking about the systematic murder of many millions of innocent, helpless & defenseless Men, Woman, Boys, Girls and little babies.

3. Show some decency & respect, please - and if you can not or don;t want to; then please refrain from making such sickening statements ! ! !

JGK

(Jomtien, Thailand)

[Marknreston]

Those who make light of this or even remotely suggest similarity between holocaust war crimes and allied action is shameful. Read about the facts of the holocaust. Visit auschwitz. Then see how numerous you feel

[Baerboxer]

Maybe one day they will turn their attention to some of the allied forces...

What?? You're suggesting the WWII allied forces who fought for world peace be tried for war crimes? OMG!

The fact that the Germans and Japanese were trying to set themselves up as master races and exterminate any they didn't like, treat others as slaves, and rule the world seems to have eluded him.

Who started bombing civilians, unrestricted submarine warfare, and executing civilians en masse as "legitimate" tactics of war? Clue - some seem to be crying that those they attacked defended themselves and in doing so returned some of the unrestricted bombing.

Get real - the allies were not spotless, no one is in war. But to suggest they were anywhere even near the extremely depraved ruthless sadistic genocidal German and Japanese at that time is historically rubbish and quite frankly absurd.

[Choctastic]

Quiet frankly: I am disgusted at the comments made by many of the Posters here ! ! !

1. The Holocaust must NEVER be used in a humorous manner.

If this were true moderators and right-minded souls would be all over it in a heartbeat.

The Holocaust should NEVER be used for political or financial gain either. But it is. Humour is a less confrontational way to make a point than calling them liars and scammers, directly.

'I am Charlie'. Right?

[Rimmer]

Some off topic and troll posts removed also quoted replies to them.

If I remember correctly Oskar Groening was interviewed in one of the many documentaries about Auschwitz, he was he says, a bookeeper nothing more, but had the opportunity to steal items of value from the 'Canada' sorting sheds where the goods were sorted and stored.

During one of the many checks by the overseeing body he was informed that his private locker would be searched and it was padlocked for searching the next day. He was able to force the locker away from the wall and remove the stolen items from the back of the locker then fix it back to the wall so got away with the crime when they searched his locker.

[Baerboxer]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

And why not?

No problem with that.

Now, when are the Japanese war criminals who went unpunished, and in many cases untried, going to face the punishment they richly deserved. Nanking, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia - Chinese slaughtered at will, raped and mutilated. POW's mistreated, enslaved and deliberately worked to death. Routinely beaten and executed in retaliation for allied victories?

Now why was Germany punished, to a degree, whilst Japan wasn't?

[Jay Sata]

Too much time has passed and the wrongs of 70 years ago can not be righted in 2015.

[Seastallion]

What's the guy's age got to do with it? He was possibly just a helpless cog in the wheel, but a trial is the thing to decide that. If guilty, then his age should have no bearing, unless he's been incarcerated for decades and thus served some semblance of a sentence already.

I agree. But many terrorists, classed as freedom fighters by their supporters. commit atrocities and go on to become revered presidents or leaders of their country.

So, let's have law and order for all - not just for those who the politically correct deem so at any given time.

Either forgive and forget, or don't forgive and punish. But not selective for political expediency.

Agree. But tend to sit on the punish atrocities and war crimes side of the fence.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Seastallion

[Seastallion]

Too much time has passed and the wrongs of 70 years ago can not be righted in 2015.

I know what you're saying, and I am tempted to agree, however, with atrocities and war crimes, a clear message needs to go out to the world.....you will pay the price, wherever and whenever.

These crimes warrant punitive measures, not reformative. Society is not trying to teach the criminal a lesson, it's trying to teach society a lesson.

[DeaconJohn]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

And why not?

No problem with that.

Now, when are the Japanese war criminals who went unpunished, and in many cases untried, going to face the punishment they richly deserved. Nanking, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia - Chinese slaughtered at will, raped and mutilated. POW's mistreated, enslaved and deliberately worked to death. Routinely beaten and executed in retaliation for allied victories?

Now why was Germany punished, to a degree, whilst Japan wasn't?

The political motives for punishing the Japanese war criminals didn't exist to the same extent that it does for the Germans.

[Jay Sata]

I doubt the prisoners of war worked to death on the Thai Burma railway would agree if they were around today.

[Morch]

Some off topic and troll posts removed also quoted replies to them.

If I remember correctly Oskar Groening was interviewed in one of the many documentaries about Auschwitz, he was he says, a bookeeper nothing more, but had the opportunity to steal items of value from the 'Canada' sorting sheds where the goods were sorted and stored.

During one of the many checks by the overseeing body he was informed that his private locker would be searched and it was padlocked for searching the next day. He was able to force the locker away from the wall and remove the stolen items from the back of the locker then fix it back to the wall so got away with the crime when they searched his locker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Gr%C3%B6ning

A somewhat different case than most of those coming to trial, considering his views as expressed on a few documentaries.

This came up on a previous topic - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735672-auschwitz-guard-89-arrested-in-us/?p=8021190.

Some interesting and in-depth posts by Saradoc1972, well worth reading, even if one does not accept the positions presented.

[masuk]

I seem to remember that it was not only persons of a certain faith who went to these ghastly places, but also Asians, homosexuals, mentally impaired, physically disabled, and no doubt any opposition.

[konying]

70 years too late. He's no doubt already enjoyed a full life.

He was an accountant.

First they came for the monsters and I said nothing because I wasn't a monster, then.........................etc, etc, etc...... now they're coming for the accountants.

What's next - the delivery boys ?

And why not?

No problem with that.

Now, when are the Japanese war criminals who went unpunished, and in many cases untried, going to face the punishment they richly deserved. Nanking, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia - Chinese slaughtered at will, raped and mutilated. POW's mistreated, enslaved and deliberately worked to death. Routinely beaten and executed in retaliation for allied victories?

Now why was Germany punished, to a degree, whilst Japan wasn't?

I can not answer that question, just like why someone gets fined for driving without a helmet and someone else does not

[Jay Sata]

I seem to remember that it was not only persons of a certain faith who went to these ghastly places, but also Asians, homosexuals, mentally impaired, physically disabled, and no doubt any opposition.

A point I always make but seems to be overlooked.

The Japanese did some atrocious things to their prisoners of war as well.

[h90]

Maybe one day they will turn their attention to some of the allied forces...

What?? You're suggesting the WWII allied forces who fought for world peace be tried for war crimes? OMG!

The fact that the Germans and Japanese were trying to set themselves up as master races and exterminate any they didn't like, treat others as slaves, and rule the world seems to have eluded him.

Who started bombing civilians, unrestricted submarine warfare, and executing civilians en masse as "legitimate" tactics of war? Clue - some seem to be crying that those they attacked defended themselves and in doing so returned some of the unrestricted bombing.

Get real - the allies were not spotless, no one is in war. But to suggest they were anywhere even near the extremely depraved ruthless sadistic genocidal German and Japanese at that time is historically rubbish and quite frankly absurd.

Well wasn't that the British first with the black slaves and than by exterminating the American Indians?. Or no the Spanish who did it to the South Americans. Or or....you can go back 3000 BC and you'll get the same crimes again.

Excusing one crime with another crime is pointless. Who did crimes should be punished....

[h90]

I seem to remember that it was not only persons of a certain faith who went to these ghastly places, but also Asians, homosexuals, mentally impaired, physically disabled, and no doubt any opposition.

A point I always make but seems to be overlooked.

The Japanese did some atrocious things to their prisoners of war as well.

I once read what the Japanese troops did. If you ever have a chance to read about it: Don't do it....It is just too heavy to read.

On the other side it didn't justify the second nuke against civilians, which was a war crime.

[Lukecan]

Its too late now, the guy probably enjoyed bunch of vacations in Thailand and experienced thainess first hand. Give him a break, he's 93.

[Jingthing]

I seem to remember that it was not only persons of a certain faith who went to these ghastly places, but also Asians, homosexuals, mentally impaired, physically disabled, and no doubt any opposition.

Here you go.

Resources aplenty for those who want to learn.

You can say Jews.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005378

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM IN NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143

During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Jingthing

[uptheos]

Its too late now, the guy probably enjoyed bunch of vacations in Thailand and experienced thainess first hand. Give him a break, he's 93.

Which part of the body would you prefer the break?

[Jay Sata]

Sadly we cannot rewrite history.

Whether people died in concentration camps or firebombed in Dresden,nuked in Hiroshima or worked to death on the Thai Burma railway the result was the same.