Former Nazi camp secretary, 96, caught after skipping trial

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MARKUS SCHREIBER and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

ITZEHOE, Germany (AP) — A former secretary for the SS commander of the Stutthof concentration camp skipped the planned start Thursday of her trial in Germany on more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder, officials said. She was picked up several hours later after the court issued an arrest warrant.

The 96-year-old woman left her home near Hamburg in a taxi on Thursday morning, a few hours before proceedings were due to start at the state court in Itzehoe, court spokesperson Frederike Milhoffer said.

The court issued the warrant and delayed the reading of the indictment until the next scheduled hearing on Oct. 19 because that couldn’t be done in the defendant’s absence.

The accused woman previously had “announced that she didn’t want to come” to court, but the statement did not provide sufficient grounds for detaining her ahead of the trial, Milhoffer said. Given the woman’s age and condition, she had not been expected “actively to evade the trial,” Milhoffer added.



A judicial officer looks at his watch prior to a trail against a 96-year-old former secretary for the SS commander of the Stutthof concentration camp at the court room in Itzehoe, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. The woman who is charged of more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder has not appeared and is wanted by warrant. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-crime-trials-courts-germany-6e3b2dc5f61d24e3b658ad3bac0b48ec

[sarisataka]

1. They have grounds to detain her now

And they should until the completion of the trial.

[harumph]

2. I'm of two minds about this -

If she indeed served at the Stutthof concentration camp, there needs to be some recognition of that. But
ultimately, this prosecution fails for the simple reason that it's unequally applied justice. Lots of Germans
that helped the Nazis or were themselves Nazis faded into the background after the war. Where is/was the
justice for them? Justice unequally applied is merely performative - that's my objection - not that her crimes
don't merit punishment. Plenty of hands-on Nazi murderers have already lived out their peaceful lives without
being brought justice. So, why her and why now? That's a bitter reality - but there it is. IMHO, the Nuremburg
trials needed to be much more aggressive in ferreting out not only the leaders but also mid-level functionaries
and frankly, more punitive. This seems like sad nonsense.

[rkleinberger]

5. Sounds what the US is going through right now with the Jan 6th commission

And where is the DOJ?

[WinstonSmith4740]

6. Couldn't agree more.

Of course this can't just be swept under the rug. It was horrific, and can't be allowed to pass into history's "dustbin".

But we're talking about events that occured over 75 years ago. The camps were all liberated by 1945. Do the math. She was in her late teens when this was going down, and undoubtedly bought into the propaganda. She might have even been "Hitler Youth". Look at what's going on in this country right now. Think we have a few stupid teenagers? I do. And as you pointed out, suddenly they all faded into the woodwork, and had no idea as to what was going on. I'm not saying let this woman walk, but I don't understand what putting her in jail would do right now. If she has come to grips with the horror of what she helped along, a lecture tour about what propaganda can do, the horrible things that were done because of the worship of the wrong person, etc. would be more fitting.

If she's still a damn Nazi, fuck her. Lock her up.

[Lithos]

11. She was not a Nazi

She would not have been part of the party given she was under 21 at the time. Being under 21 at the time is why even though she is 90+ years old is being tried as a juvenile. However, running from the law now does mean they can try that part as an adult which is probably worse on her in terms of outcome.

That said, she was part of the machinery at the time and could have said "no" and avoid being made complicit.

L-

[LanternWaste]

16. Nazi party did not have a 21 or over limit.

[apnu]

17. Yes. See 'Hitler Youth'

Who was mobilized as soldiers in the last days of the war.

We should not forget that.

[Lithos]

22. Being a Hitler Youth was compulsory

Starting in 1936 it was difficult to go to school or get a job without being a member. It was outright compulsory from 1939 onwards, so you really can't make much distinction there. Even the members of the White Rose were members as they had to be in order to be in school. Membership is also one of those stupid points the Right tries to paint Soros with. Hitler Youth also was limited to boys, I think girls had their own organization which was designed to promote ideals of motherhood. Why I was also making the distinction she was *NOT* a party member is that the Nazi Party generally promoted the exclusion of women from politics as they viewed a woman's place was effectively an incubator of babies. Abortion was also outlawed.

In any event, all members were effectively conscripted into the war effort with ages getting younger and younger as the end neared. A lot of women and girls went into medical, clerical and other duties in order to free up men for the front lines. Most of the Hitler Youth supported things such as the Flak units initially, but were pushed into the front lines as filler.

She may or not be guilty, but just because she was in a given place at a given time does not automatically make her guilty. If the evidence does show she something overt, then she definitely still needs to pay for her actions - even at this late of time.

Most of the post-war "Hitler Youth" generation had to deal with the fact that their efforts supported one of the most brutal regimes in history and it took many, many years before people even felt comfortable talking about their war experiences as children. They are referred to as the Hitler Youth generation - see: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hitler_Youth_generation

i've chatted with a few who were of this generation - it really shaped a lot of their beliefs and definitely affected a lot of post-war Germany's attitudes.


L-

[apnu]

23. Deep stuff, makes me think of the Swedish children born of Nazi fathers.

I forgot the name of them. But imagine walking around the world knowing your existence is because of an insane Nazi breeding program. And the Swedes were quite punitive to those kids. So much evil. Makes me sad and want to hit something at the same time.

[JudyM]

7. Can you point to any known nazis who were captured and not put on trial? Or Germans who were

otherwise active employees under hitler and were not put on trial? I’m not aware of any, and thought that the nazis who ran from the law and escaped capture were the only ones who got away. Just curious who you’re referring to.

[cinematicdiversions]

8. There are plenty but I can think of one in particular....

It is named in honor of Wernher von Braun, the German-American rocket scientist. After von Braun’s work for Nazi Germany in World War II, he was brought to the United States Army's Redstone Arsenal along with many colleagues via Operation Paperclip. Their work laid the foundation for the United States space program. Planning for the facility began in 1965.[6] The original construction included the sports arena, an exhibit hall space now known as East Hall, a concert hall, a playhouse, and museum space for the Huntsville Museum of Art. The arena as originally built seated about 8,000 for concerts, and included scoreboards and a refrigerated floor for ice events. The concert hall included an orchestra rehearsal room, dressing space for performers, and a lounge for patrons. The facility, originally referred to as the "Von Braun Civic Center", opened on March 14, 1975.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Braun_Center

[localroger]

9. Look up Operation Paperclip

In addition to von Braun, we brought hundreds of Nazi scientists and engineers who had actively worked on combat weapon systems to the US, gave them clemency, and put them to work continuing whatever they had been doing for the Nazis.

[TheProle]

13. "So why her and why now?"

from the article linked in the OP:

The case against Furchner relies on German legal precedent established in cases over the past decade that anyone who helped Nazi death camps and concentration camps function can be prosecuted as an accessory to the murders committed there, even without evidence of participation in a specific crime.

[Champp]

3. Take note anti-American Republican traitors

[Steelrolled]

4. Seems they are running out of people to prosecute.

I'll bet there was a kitchen staff who prepared food for that SS commander.

[TheProle]

14. Did kitchen staff transcribe execution orders?

According to Der Spiegel, Furchner transcribed execution orders dictated to her by camp commandant Paul-Werner Hoppe, who was convicted of accessory to murder in 1955. The magazine reported that Furchner had written to the judge asking to be tried in absentia - a legal impossibility in Germany.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-96-year-old-nazi-war-crimes-suspect-flees-ahead-trial-2021-09-30/

[Steelrolled]

18. If they fed him, I think they would be complicit.

Probably most of the kitchen staff are dead by now, but there might be a few left. Furchner might be able to provide information.

[Ron Obvious]

10. A 96 y/o former secretary? Really?

This is unseemly vindictive.

[TheProle]

15. You know what's really vindictive?

More than 60,000 people were killed there by being given lethal injections of gasoline or phenol directly to their hearts, or being shot or starved. Others were forced outside in winter without clothing until they died of exposure, or were put to death in a gas chamber.

[Steelrolled]

19. It seems like all cultures have some "mainstream extremism"

It seems like it might be increasing.

[Hortensis]

26. She assisted in the murders of 11,000 people -- murders of children,

their parents, babies in arms. Young girls her age then. Elderly people her age now.

“if she is healthy enough to flee, she is healthy enough to be incarcerated.”

If she's aware enough to flee, she's aware enough to stand trial for her complicity in muder.

If you still thought it's unseemly vindictive after further thought, maybe it'd help that she got away with it for 75 years. The penalty will be incredibly small compared to having her life end 75 years ago -- after dreadful suffering from the unspeakable cruelties of her last days, weeks or months.

[Steelrolled]

20. I don't think you should bear any guilt,

coming from an anonymous person on the Internet.

[RFCalifornia]

21. Nazis are like Pokemon: gotta catch em all

No matter how old they are...no one escapes justice

[truthisfreedom]

24. Nonsense.

Total waste of money. Why did they wait so long?

[thucythucy]

25. See post # 13. nt

[leftyladyfrommo]

27. At 96 she may have just forgotten.

I don't know. If she has lived a productive life for 75 years she should get credit for that.

It's like putting someone to death after 20 years in prison. The person they are killing isn't the same person that they were 20 years ago.