95-Year-Old Being Tried in Germany on Auschwitz Allegations

BERLIN (AP) —
The notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free) sign above the entrance gate of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)
The notorious “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign above the entrance gate of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

A German court says a 95-year-old man will go on trial next month on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder for allegedly serving in the Nazis’ Auschwitz concentration camp.

Hubert Zafke is accused of working as a medic in an SS hospital in Auschwitz. Prosecutors argue that in that role, the former SS sergeant helped the death camp function.

An appeals court in December ruled he was fit for trial, though the Neubrandenburg state court said Monday that when his trial opens Feb. 29, judges will have to assess whether he needs special accommodation.

Zafke’s attorney insists his client did nothing criminal at Auschwitz.

Another former SS man, 94-year-old Reinhold Hanning, is going on trial Feb. 11 in Detmold on accusations he served as an Auschwitz guard from 1943-1944.

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