A German woman, 95, charged with complicity in more than 10,000 murders during WWII
- Thread starter Forerunner
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Wait till you learn how we decided to punish Japan's Unit 731 :)
This is one real pandora's box. It's very well documented that women of Nazi Germany made great efforts for the Nazi regime. Nurses injected leathel injections, field secreteries were mostly women, etc. But women rarely faced justice after ww2. For various reasons (there was even some twisted logic behind it) but many of them should have.
How do trials such as this get processed?
It's pretty hard to imagine anyone not being aware of what was really going on, but especially this long after, what do you do to prove complicity/guilt?
Is there anything people in this position could realistically use as a defense (such as fearing for their lives, or the lives of loved ones, I guess?)
It's impressive that so long after the fact, they're still holding people accountable.
It's pretty hard to imagine anyone not being aware of what was really going on, but especially this long after, what do you do to prove complicity/guilt?
Is there anything people in this position could realistically use as a defense (such as fearing for their lives, or the lives of loved ones, I guess?)
It's impressive that so long after the fact, they're still holding people accountable.
But is it really justice? She lived 70 years. The best years of her life. The remaining years are the shit years. By now what's the point? She will probably live a better life in prison then she otherwise would have. I just don't see it as justice.
It's to send a message that no matter how old you are, you will not get away with supporting or being complicit in atrocities.
Quote the wrong person? I'm not sure what you're asking me.
I understand it as punishment. I don't disagree with that. I just don't see it as justice. Being charged with the crime doesn't right the wrong that was committed. I guess my argument here is just the words used.
You'd just end up with fascist dinos and flight supremacists.
I need to clarify: People knew about the deportations, however, most of them didn't know what happened afterwards. Civilians just couldn't imagine the cruelty and systematic killing and the Nazi government did its best to cover it up. Thats the main reason why so many Jews (and others) were completely clueless when they arrived in Auschwitz.
People working inside or living near the concentration camps definitely knew the details tho.
As long as they're still alive, it should never be too late for them to face justice.
Yup.
You can't really right the wrongs in any way if the wrongs involves people being killed, though. I can understand the wording issue, though that's going to be true of any murder adjacent crime if taken in this context.
Because Germany changed the law a few years back, everybody is guilty, who helped with their work to keep the KZs functioning. And now since mostly dead or done, they are at a secretary.
I get what you guys are doing here but this comparison is ridiculous...
Not a comparison, it actually happened
How the Nazis Were Inspired by Jim Crow | HISTORY
To craft legal discrimination, the Third Reich studied the United States.
www.history.com
I know it happened but it's ridiculous it try to imply that if the US wasnt racist they would have not been as cruel or whatever. Europe has had long history of cruelty towards other groups of people they don't like.Not a comparison, it actually happened
How the Nazis Were Inspired by Jim Crow | HISTORY
To craft legal discrimination, the Third Reich studied the United States.
Interesting direction the thread took at the beginning...weird that we are making this story US centric.
Anyway, this is really interesting. Good on them for trying to hold someone accountable. To what extent that will occur for a secretary who was a juvenile at the time? I don't know. I'm curious to see how it plays out.
Anyway, this is really interesting. Good on them for trying to hold someone accountable. To what extent that will occur for a secretary who was a juvenile at the time? I don't know. I'm curious to see how it plays out.
It is hard to draw a line in a long line of accountability. Sure she worked in a camp and can't say she wasn't aware of its purpose. Did she actually activity participate in the killings? Probably not, but sure was part of process. For that should should have been judged (long ago not now), but then again can we be sure about her live and conditions at the time? Could she chose another path? But think so but again a large part of the German people at the time shares guilty too, complicity with the Nazi Party or just making a blind eye to what was happening, the prisoners trains passing throw towns, etc. If you can say they were powerless to intervene, what you can say about this particularly person?
And yes, the Nazi were influenced by the American ideas at the time, specially the eugenics and the way Americans handle native and afro-american people.
Again, I do support never forgetting what was done but also taking the best path to heal everyone.