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Oskar Groening has been declared fit to serve his sentence (Picture: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
A former SS officer known as the Bookkeeper of Auschwitz has been declared fit to go to prison.
Oskar Groening was convicted in July 2015 of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 Jews and sentenced to four years in prison.
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He saw an appeal rejected in November but has remained free pending a decision on his fitness for prison.
Kathrin Soefker, a spokeswoman for prosecutors in Hannover, told news agency DPA they have rejected a defence application for a reprieve on serving the sentence.
She said a doctor considers Groening fit to go to prison as long as there is appropriate medical care.
He was handed a four-year sentence in 2015 (Picture: Axel Heimken/Pool Photo via AP, file)
There has been no formal summons yet for him to start serving his sentence.
Speaking when he was sentenced, Groening said: ‘No one should have taken part in Auschwitz.
‘I know that. I sincerely regret not having lived up to this realisation earlier and more consistently. I am very sorry.’
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Anaviocla on August 2nd, 2017 at 20:50 UTC »
It's sort of bizarre that we'll imprison a concentration camp bookkeeper 70+ years after WWII, and yet we pardoned Japanese doctors who committed crimes against humanity and asked them to come and work for us. Just months after WWII finished.
Just an observation. I'm sort of conflicted about this whole topic.
Edit: Yes guys, I am aware that we took in Nazi scientists as well. If anything, that makes the point stronger. Hypocrisy.
reebee7 on August 2nd, 2017 at 15:20 UTC »
You know what they say. "Don't keep the books for a genocidal dictatorship."
Miserablebro on August 2nd, 2017 at 14:52 UTC »
Interesting that he doesn't complain about being sentenced and believes he should be. But with no date set for jailing him im guessing he wont serve anything, hes got given 4 years 2 years ago. here in the UK that means he would have served half his sentence already, is this a similar thing in Germany? Does the good behavoir thing work there also?
It would be good to utilise him to speak out though as no doubt he has a lot of worthwhile information for historical reasons.