History

Defence calls for acquittal in trial of 101-year-old WWII camp guard

27.06.2022, 13:41

The defence in the trial of a 101-year-old man, who is alleged to have worked as an SS guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin during World War II, called for acquittal during closing arguments on Monday.

The prosecution had failed to provide evidence of concrete acts relating to the charge of abetting mass murder, Stefan Waterkamp said. In terms of an earlier federal court ruling, general work as a camp guard was insufficient for a guilty verdict, he said.

In his final address to the court in Brandenburg an der Havel, which lies to the west of Berlin, the defendant repeated his denial of the charges, ahead of judgement expected on Tuesday. The trial had been moved to the town for his convenience.

He stands charged with being an accessory to the murder of thousands of prisoners, but has insisted throughout the trial, which began in October, that he was not present at the camp during the period in question, 1942 to 1945.

The defendant claimed to have been working as a farm labourer in Pasewalk, 100 kilometres to the north-east of Sachsenhausen.

The prosecution based its case on documents in the defendant's name, with date and place of birth and other documentation showing that he was in fact an SS guard.

It called for a sentence of five years and has been supported in this by lawyers acting for co-plaintiffs.