Wiesenthal Center Urges Germany to Expedite Nazi War Crimes Trials in Wake of Death of Unpunished Convicted Auschwitz Guard

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged the German judicial authorities to expedite the remaining cases of Nazi war criminals in the wake of the recent death of convictedAuschwitz guard Reinhold Hanning before he could serve his jail sentence. In a statement issued here by its chief Nazi-hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center emphasized the importanceof the implementation of the sentences meted out by German courts in recent years to convicted death camp guards and operatives.

According to Zuroff:

"The punishment of convicted Nazi war criminals is an integral and highly significant component of the judicial process. The fact that none of the three death camp guards andoperatives convicted in recent years in German courts have served their sentences weakens the impact of these important judicial decisions. We urge the German judicial authoritiesto find a way to expedite these cases so that those justifiably sentenced to imprisonment do not escape punishment due to bureaucracy and/or misplaced sympathy."

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the UnitedStates. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).