A trial in
the district court of a former member of the SS in Germany continues. Oskar
Grönig, who served in Auschwitz, says he helped the death camp function by
sorting valuables seized from Jews.
Deutsche Welle, 1 July 2015
In a
pre-prepared statement, read by his lawyer, 94-year-old Oskar Gröning, also
known as the Bookkeeper of Auschwitz, told the Lüneberg district court that he
blindly followed the instructions of Nazi officers and his obedience to the
system meant he never rebelled against the atrocities that occurred at the
camp.
The former
SS sergeant, who is charged with aiding in the mass murder of 300,000 victims
in the Auschwitz death camp in German-occupied Poland, says his role was to
sort cash and valuables taken from Jews after their arrival.
The
statement read on Gröning's behalf said, "I can only ask God for my
forgiveness."
The German
legal system does not allow for pleas to be entered into, but at the opening of
his trial in April on 300,000 counts of being an accessory to murder, Gröning
said he felt a moral guilt for what he had done.
If
convicted, Gröning faces a possible three to 15 years in jail.
jlw/jil (epd, AP, dpa)
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