Former Auschwitz guard escapes justice through death

Reinhold Hanning, a former SS guard convicted of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder for serving in Auschwitz, has died, without serving even one day of his sentence. 

Reinhold Hanning, a former SS sergeant convicted of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder last year for serving as an Auschwitz guard, has died. He was 95.

His attorney Andreas Scharmer told The Associated Press Thursday that Hanning died on Wednesday, but gave no further details.

Hanning was convicted last year and sentenced to five years in prison, though never served time behind bars, as his case was still in appeal.

While there was no evidence he directly participated in killings at Auschwitz, he was convicted as an accessory for helping the death camp function in his capacity as a guard, in a verdict hailed as an overdue victory for victims.

He told the court he was “ashamed that I saw injustice and never did anything about it.”

By: AP

AuschwitzGermanyNazisReinhold HanningSS