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Former SS Auschwitz guard apologizes at trial in Germany

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Former SS Auschwitz guard apologizes at trial in Germany

99-year-old Rinhold Hanning: 'It disturbs me deeply that I was part of such a criminal organization.' An Auschwitz survivor at the trial: 'How can you apologize for that?'

Associated Press

Published: 04.29.16, 17:57 / Israel Jewish Scene

DETMOLD, Germany — A 94-year-old former SS sergeant admitted in court Friday that he had served as an Auschwitz death camp guard, apologizing to Nazi Holocaust survivors looking on in a German courtroom that even though he was aware Jews were being gassed and their corpses burned, he did nothing to try to stop it.

Reinhold Hanning told the Detmold state court that he had never spoken about his wartime service in Auschwitz from January 1942 to June 1944, even to his family, but wanted to use his trial as an opportunity to set the record straight.

"I want to say that it disturbs me deeply that I was part of such a criminal organization," he said as he sat in a wheelchair, talking with a weak voice into a microphone. "I am ashamed that I saw injustice and never did anything about it and I apologize for my actions. I am very, very sorry."

As he spoke, Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum watched from about 5 meters away with a steely face, afterward saying he was happy Hanning apologized but that it wasn't enough.


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Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarbaum at the trial (Photo: AP)

"I lost 35 family members, how can you apologize for that?" the 95-year-old said. "I am not angry, I don't want him to go to prison but he should say more for the sake of the young generation today because the historical truth is important."

Hanning is charged with 170,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations that as a guard he helped the death camp function, so can legally be found guilty of accessory to murder. Schwarzbaum is one of some 40 Holocaust survivors who has joined the trial as co-plaintiff as allowed under German law, though only one other was in court to hear Hanning.

Prosecutor Andreas Brendel said there was good evidence already that Hanning served in the camp, but that his admission Friday could help win a conviction.

"Today's statement contributed a little more to establish that he was there, because he admitted that, and more importantly to the fact that he knew about the killings in the main camp — that also is a crucial fact," Brendel told The Associated Press.

Pleas are not entered in the German system and such statements to the court are not uncommon, and frequently help mitigate the length of a sentence. Hanning faces a possible 15 years in prison if convicted but at his age it is unlikely he will ever spend time behind bars given the length of the appeals process.
Ahead of the short statement he made himself, Hanning's attorney Johannes Salmen read a 22-page statement from Hanning detailing how his client had joined the Hitler Youth with his class in 1935 at age 13, then volunteered at 18 for the Waffen SS in 1940 at the urging of his stepmother. He fought in several battles in World War II before being hit by grenade splinters in his head and leg during close combat in Kiev in 1941.



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Reinhold Hanning at the trial (Photo: AP)

Hanning spoke fondly of his time at the front and said as he was recovering from his wounds he asked to be sent back but his commander decided he was no longer fit for front-line duty, so sent him to Auschwitz.

He said he didn't know what Auschwitz was at that time, but quickly found out, though he said his initial responsibility was to register patrols and work details coming and going through the front gate, far away from where the killings were taking place.

"Nobody talked to us about it in the first days there, but if someone, like me, was there for a long time then one learned what was going on," he told the court in the statement, looking down at the table in front of him as it was read aloud. "People were shot, gassed and burned. I could see how corpses were taken back and forth or moved out. I could smell the burning bodies; I knew corpses were being burned."

He was later assigned to a guard tower and said all guards had orders to shoot prisoners trying to escape, but he did not say whether he ever shot anyone himself and did not mention any specific involvement in the killings in Auschwitz, where nearly 1 million Jews and tens of thousands of others were slaughtered.

"I've tried my whole life to forget about this time," he said. "Auschwitz was a nightmare."
 
Wonder if the local jews would do the same after 50 years of occupation in Palestine
Do you really think it is the Jews of Israel who need to apologize for adhering to an ideology dedicated to genocide, rather than the their enemies?
 
Arent the jews doing more or less of the same to poor Palestinians ?
At least you phrased that as a question! As if you don't know the true answer! Really, the sooner Pakistan recognizes Israel the better, if only to make it fully legit for Pakistanis themselves to combat such lunacies that give violent crazies of all stripes ammunition.
 
At least you phrased that as a question! As if you don't know the true answer! Really, the sooner Pakistan recognizes Israel the better, if only to make it fully legit for Pakistanis themselves to combat such lunacies that give violent crazies of all stripes ammunition.

Hi,

So do you deny the atrocities carried out by jews that the whole world condemn ?

YOu can't continue with such ignorance
 
Hi,

So do you deny the atrocities carried out by jews that the whole world condemn ?

YOu can't continue with such ignorance
You don't have to worry about "the whole world" taking it out on Pakistan for recognizing Israel. Don't Egypt and Jordan already have embassies in Tel Aviv? Besides, Pakistan is already unpopular: if you've learned to live with that, then you can live with this.
 
You don't have to worry about "the whole world" taking it out on Pakistan for recognizing Israel. Don't Egypt and Jordan already have embassies in Tel Aviv? Besides, Pakistan is already unpopular: if you've learned to live with that, then you can live with this.

See, I dont understand why do you have to bring in Pakistan when we are discussing about jews and survivor of holocaust, I merely stated the truth, thers no need to lose temper here. Why should we recognize any foreign occupation ?
Its not as if Jews with their invasion have otherwise a very good opinion. When their own people dismiss and condemn, hell even the survivor of holocaust are disgusted to see the current aggressor attitude of jews.
 
You don't have to worry about "the whole world" taking it out on Pakistan for recognizing Israel. Don't Egypt and Jordan already have embassies in Tel Aviv? Besides, Pakistan is already unpopular: if you've learned to live with that, then you can live with this.
Why do wish so much that Pakistan recognise Israel?
 
Why do wish so much that Pakistan recognise Israel?
Not just recognition. I think Pakistanis should champion Israel. You'll be embracing such values as truth, individual human rights, the rule of law, etc. Then you'll be fighting, on an ideological level, all the rot that enables violence and terrorism in Pakistan.
 
individual human rights, the rule of law
Joke of the day. Do we really need to speak about that ? not a single day passes by when we donnt hear news that innocent Palestinian children being harassed, shot at by so-called brave invaders. the comes the rules of law. which is not even recognized by EU and other states illegally built settlements.

Theres much to learn from, if only one stops to act like a victim and acknowledge its crimes against humanity
 
Not just recognition. I think Pakistanis should champion Israel. You'll be embracing such values as truth, individual human rights, the rule of law, etc. Then you'll be fighting, on an ideological level, all the rot that enables violence and terrorism in Pakistan.
Pakistan will be embracing more Shirk. She will be embracing the Anti Christ even more.
 

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