Suspected Nazi War Criminal Ruled Unfit for Trial
February 28, 2014
A 94-year-old man deported from the United States for lying about his Nazi past is unfit for trial on allegations that he was an accessory to thousands of murders as an SS guard at Auschwitz, a German court said Friday, according to The Associated Press (AP).
The Ellwangen state court said Hans Lipschis is suffering from “worsening dementia” and couldn’t be tried.
Lipschis was charged with 10,510 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served as a guard at the death camp from 1941 to 1943.
Stuttgart prosecutors said they hadn’t yet decided whether to appeal the decision, according to AP.
The court released Lipschis from custody in December, saying it had “considerable doubt” over his fitness to face trial.
Lipschis was arrested in southern Germany last May, after prosecutors concluded there was “compelling evidence” that he had been complicit in murder.
He acknowledged he served with the Waffen SS at Auschwitz, but claimed he was only a cook.
Lipschis’ attorney, Achim Baechle, told AP that after his release, Lipschis suffered a fall on his return home. He was then operated on, and is now in a nursing home.
“I assume the prosecutors will appeal the court’s decision, but I think the decision is absolutely correct,” he told the news agency.
Lipschis was deported from the U.S. in the early 1980s for lying about his Nazi past when he arrived in Chicago in 1956. He has lived in Germany since.
Lipschis is one of 30 suspected former Auschwitz guards against whom a special German prosecutors’ office in September said it had collected enough evidence to warrant charges.
Efraim Zuroff, the head Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem, said he hoped the Lipschis decision would be a “wakeup call” for other prosecutors to prioritize the new Auschwitz cases.
Similar posts
-
How Israel Helps Its Arab Neighbors
September 27, 2023Introduction Israel, a country known for its rich history and complex geopolitical landscape, ha...
-
The Amazing Country of Israel
September 15, 2023Introduction Nestled in the heart of the Middle East, Israel is a nation with a remarkable histo...
-
Israel Safeguards The World From Terror Attacks
August 23, 2023Introduction In an era where terrorism poses a significant threat to global security, Israel sta...
-
Israel Helps The World With Water Recycling
August 10, 2023Introduction In a world grappling with the challenges of water scarcity and resource management,...
-
Israel's Remarkable Female Soldiers
July 26, 2023Introduction When we think of the Israeli military, we often conjure up images of well-trained s...
-
About Gal Gadot's Cleopatra Movie
July 18, 2023By Katy Rath Gal Gadot's new Cleopatra movie has been steeped in both anticipation and controver...
-
Israel Empowers The World Through Innovation
July 10, 2023BY: SOLVE ISRAEL'S PROBLEMS Introduction:In recent years, Israel has emerged as a global powerho...
-
The Jerusalem Embassy, 5 Years Later
May 22, 2023By Nikki Haley On May 14, 2018, something incredible happened. The United States...
