Last Nazi Trial?

An 88-year-old retired civil servant has been charged with participating in the murder of 430,000 Jews in a Nazi death camp. The former guard came on the radar of the prosecutors during their investigation into John Demjanjuk.

The Last Nazi Trial?: Former Death Camp Guard Indicted - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

 

Too bad the same never happened to the Japanese who committed atrocities in the pacific, hunt them down for their crimes. However, is taking a 90 year old man, who was a low ranking guard, to trial based on a statement by a man who is dead while SS officers who worked at Auscwitz (see the BBC's "Auschwitz - Inside the Nazi State" where one is interviewed) were allowed to go free and prosper in post-war Germany, doesn't seem to be justice.

 

The US had similar trials for Japanese war criminals when the war ended. It was largely officers and other high ranking officials though. I don't think very many regular soldiers were brought forth unless the circumstances were severe.

Similar with Germany and other Axis members. S.S. members who didn't do anything wrong during the war were able to return to normal life, albeit with certain conditions. Some went on to lead very successful and popular lives with their war time service being known.

 

This stuff with Demjanjuk has been going on for years. I remember it going on in the 1980s when I lived in Cleveland, Demjanjuk's location. Demjanjuk was even deported to Israel and put on trial. The Israelis were apparently not impressed with the evidence against him and he was released.