Even though decades have passed since the end of World War II, which put an end to the atrocities that the Nazis caused around Europe, the process of bringing justice to those who have participated is a continuing one.
The latest former Nazi to be convicted is 93 year old Bruno Dey. He was part of the infamous Nazi SS, during which he served as a watchman in the Stutthof Concentration Camp.
After being brought to court in October, Dey has been charged with being an accessory to 5,232 counts of murder. The number was derived from the number of all the prisoners who perished in the camp while Dey was stationed as a watchman between 1944 and 1945.
Because he was 17 ~ 18 during his time as a former Nazi, Dey’s case was handled in the Juvenile Courts. The government asked that he be sentenced for 3 years, while Dey’s lawyers called for an acquittal. In the end, the judge sentenced Dey to 2 years in suspended prison time.
The 93 year old, who is now wheelchair bound because of his age, apologized to the victims, saying that they must have gone through hell during their time in Stutthof. At the same time, he defended himself by saying that he was not given a choice regarding his actions.
Moreover, Dey argued that he did not fully understand the degree of violence that was taking place under his watch. This is despite him acknowledging that he knew of the gas rooms and the overall conditions that those at the camp had to live through.
The prosecutors did not buy into Dey’s narrative, saying that they have witnesses who said Dey actively stopped prisoners who were trying to escape. One prosecutor remarked that simply ignoring and turning a blind eye is not enough during such massive cruelty.
Those who pursue Nazi members welcomed the conviction itself, but expressed their disappointment with the sentence, which they believed was too light compared to Dey’s actions.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff said that he was upset by the result, saying that not bringing real punishment could by itself be considered an insult to the victims and survivors alike.
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