Race to catch Nazi war criminals 'lost'

UK Telegraph ^

[mnehring]

The leader of Germany's Jewish community says the race to catch surviving Nazi war criminals before they die has been "lost".

 

Last Updated: 1:12PM GMT 02 Dec 2008

Charlotte Knobloch, president of the German Central Council of Jews, was speaking at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the central office for investigating Nazi war crimes.

She said the agency's greatest achievements included compiling evidence between 1963 and 1965 to prosecute the key surviving commanders and guards from the Auschwitz death camp where 1.1 million people were killed.

Frau Knobloch praised the agency but said the German justice system had not done enough.

"The race against time has been lost," she said. "An unknown number of grave crimes remain unpunished."

She accused Germany of not giving the Ludwigsburg agency sufficient powers to act fast against former Nazis.

The agency hopes to mount one last major inquiry against John Demjanjuk, 88, the former Ukrainian member of the SS who was acquitted by an Israeli court.

[BigBobber]

Well then how about putting that energy into fighting Muslims who are young and strong and fighting to exterminate Jews right now?

[mnehring]

Going after one doesn’t negate going after another. At that, continuing to go after Nazi war criminals sends a strong message to anyone with similar ‘aspirations’ that people will not rest until they are brought down.

[cripplecreek]

"An unknown number of grave crimes remain unpunished."

I sympathize but that's life.

[RedMonqey]

Yet not one member of the communist party has ever answered for the millions dead because of Soviet Communism. Or any communism anywhere.

You're righteous cause is becoming more like a petulant child whining...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Hard to believe any of them are still alive.

[mnehring]

Then start your own cause to go after Communists in the same way. Everyone has their cause. Because group A doesn’t go after criminals B, doesn’t negate what group A is doing, nor is it a pass on criminals B.

[BigBobber]

Going after one doesn’t negate going after another.

I'm afraid it does. People have finite time and resources. We should be focusing on the present day enemy who are plotting to kill Jews as I write this.

[cripplecreek]

Pol Pot served out his final days under house arrest. Hardly a fitting punishment but again, it’s done and over.

[70th Division]

Yes, the clear and present danger to German Jews and Jews in general is Islam. Spend your energy there.

[Vigilanteman]

Good question, but there is less risk and more headlines from tracking down 98 year old geezer nazis in nursing homes.

[mnehring]

As I mentioned to another commentator, everyone has their own cause. One doesn’t negate the other. These people have their cause, you have yours. One cop going after a rapist down the street doesn’t mean another cop can’t go after the drug dealer. Nor is saying that going after the rapist is not as important as going after the drug dealer.

They have done good working bringing people to justice and it has sent a message that people will not rest.

Also, most of these groups a privately funded, which means private citizens freely choose to support this activity.

[padre35]

That is a good point, part of the problem here is while some Nazi’s undoubtably remain, they are anonymous, there are also some seriously murderous Muslims who are also anonymous, I’d love to see who is still thought to be alive among the geriatric Nazis, as well as who is still alive among the bloody Islamacists and Communists from Eastern Europe and Russia.

[Doomonyou]

"An unknown number of grave crimes remain unpunished."

There is that burn in hell thing.

[cripplecreek]

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that these cases be closed or forgotten but eventually they’ll all be gone and many will remain unpunished. It’s just the way it is.

On the other hand, we can rest assured knowing that the nazis recieved far more punishment than any other group of criminals in the history of the planet.

Look at Japan. Many of known war criminals were simply released when the world grew tired of trials. There is at least one case of a Japanese officer who ate the livers of POWs and went on to serve in the new government.

[RedMonqey]

Although in a limited way I have and I do.

However I'm not insisting on every 2nd lieutenant. that ever carried out what later is deemed to be a war crime to be prosecuted as those who made the decisions to commit war crimes.

The top Nazi's were either captured, sentenced and hanged or committed suicide.

Justice, if one could fully account for the murderous acts of the Holocaust and other crimes of WW2 , was largely done in this world.

It is in God's hands to melt out perfect justice.

[quadrant]

I agree with the efforts to prosecute those Nazi criminals who remain alive. I want to give solace to those who are upset that so many escaped justice. Don’t worry, deceased criminals are being punished by a far sterner and more inflexible Judge. He is Judge who knows the human heart and actions, and One who will not be fooled by evasions and resorts to legal technicalities.

[RedMonqey]

Yes that is true. The leaders of Soviet Union’s crimes are all dead. However Castro is still alive and so is his brother. These are the ones I would like seen given Justice, Nurenburg Style.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

These men who did these terrible things will face a higher justice than any on this earth. They have escaped nothing. They will be judged by an angry God. Look to the crimes of this age and not seek the crimes of another.

[SJackson]

On the other hand, we can rest assured knowing that the nazis recieved far more punishment than any other group of criminals in the history of the planet....Look at Japan. Many of known war criminals were simply released when the world grew tired of trials.

There were far more Japanese executed and imprisoned at the Toyko trials than Nuremburg. And most of the relatively few Nazis imprisoned were also released in the 50s. And there have been Japanese war criminals deported from the US. They just don't get much attention. Of course the Soviets applied punishment of a far greater magnitude