A 96-year-old ex-Nazi is refusing to accept his four-year jail sentence. Lawyers for Oskar Groening argue that imprisoning him is akin to murder.
“In terms of constitutional law, it should be examined if the health condition of Mr. Groening allows for his basic right to life and physical integrity to be guaranteed… if he went to jail,” said Hans Holtermann.
It’s a pity to see an old man die in jail, but Groening is guilty of horrendous crimes. The former SS officer worked at a concentration camp, sorting the belongings of people sent to the gas chamber.
“6,500 people worked at Auschwitz-Birkenau — where at least 1.1 million people, 90 percent of the Jews, were murdered. Yet only 49 of the workers were ever charged for their crimes,” writes the New York Post.
Groening’s defense team is likely trying to drag out the appeals process. Their client’s advanced age means that he might pass away naturally before his case clears the court. He was convicted over two years ago, yet he still hasn’t spent a single day behind bars.
According to the Post, Judge Franz Kompisch said: “Groening specifically chose a ‘safe’ clerical job at Auschwitz rather than risk being sent to the front lines.”
Groening admits his “moral guilt,” but still believes that he deserves to evade jail time. The horror of his crimes hasn’t lessened just because years have passed. He participated in mind-numbingly brutal actions.
His defense team argued that he never personally killed anybody.
(Source: New York Post)