Custody and Court
Irmgard Furchner, a 96 year old woman accused of complicity in the murder of 10,000 prisoners of the Stutthof camp in occupied Poland, failed to appear for her court date last Thursday. Taking a cab from her retirement home near Hamburg, she went to the subway from which she went missing.
She’s the first woman in decades to be charged with Nazi-era crimes. From June 1943 to April 1945 she worked at the office of camp commander, Paul Werner Hoppe, as such she has been charged with “assisting in the systematic murder of detainees”, including Jewish prisoners, Russian prisoners of war, and Polish partisans.
She has had her trial date re-scheduled to October 28 and “the court has suspended the arrest warrant and released the accused from custody under the condition of precautionary measures.” Court spokeswoman Frederike Millhofer said, “The court is assured that she will appear at the next appointment.” Christoph Heubner, Vice-President of the International Auschwitz Committee told AFP, “The escape attempt showed contempt for the survivors and also for the rule of law.”
“Seventy-six years after the end of World War II, time is running out to bring people to justice for their role in the Nazi system.”
(Source: Times of Israel)
