94-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard goes on trial in Germany

Germany on Tuesday began the trial of a 94-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard who is charged with complicity in mass murder.

Johann Rehbogen was a member of the SS paramilitary troops and worked at the Stutthof concentration camp in Poland from the summer of 1942 to the fall of 1944. He says he had no knowledge of the atrocities committed at the camp and did not participate.

More than 60,000 people were killed at Stutthof. Some were shot, starved, or exposed to extreme cold weather. Others were consigned to gas chambers or had chemicals including gasoline injected directly into their hearts.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Because he was under 21 when he worked at Stutthof, Rehbogen is being tried in juvenile court, and because of his current advanced age and frail condition, he is not expected to serve prison time if convicted. His court appearances are limited for the sake of his health, so hearings are scheduled to continue through February.

"If one looks at how many evil doings and crimes were perpetuated, one can understand why elderly people too have to face prosecution," said Andreas Brendel, chief prosecutor in the case. "Germany owes it to the families and victims to prosecute these Nazi crimes even today. That is a legal and moral question."