Auschwitz orderly to be tried in Germany

Hubert Z. (full name withheld under German privacy laws) was an SS sergeant who served as a paramedic at the death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland from October 1943 to January 1944.

Prosecutors have not accused the defendant of being directly involved in any killings at the site, but they claim that he is still culpable.

“The accused lent support to the organization of the camp and was thereby both involved in and promoted the extermination,” prosecutors argued in an earlier statement.

In December, an appeal court in Rostock, north eastern Germany, overturned a previous ruling that had blocked the trial on account of the defendant's poor health.

Hubert Z.'s defence team had argued that he is not fit to stand trial, noting that among other issues, he suffers from dementia.

The trial is scheduled to begin on 29 February in the town of Neubrandenburg.

Over 1.1 million inmates, mostly European Jews, died at the death camp. Other victims included non-Jewish Poles, Roma and Sinti, and Soviet POWs. (nh/pk)

Source: dw.com