German Court Denies Ex-Nazi Secretary's Appeal in Murder Case

A German court has upheld the conviction of Irmgard Furchner, a 99-year-old former secretary at the Stutthof concentration camp, for her role as an accessory to the murder of over 10,500 people during World War II. The Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig confirmed a two-year suspended sentence initially handed down in December 2022, rejecting Furchner's appeal. The court emphasized that her administrative position contributed to the functioning of the camp, thereby implicating her in the atrocities committed there. Furchner, who worked as a stenographer for the camp's commandant from 1943 to 1945, has consistently denied any responsibility for the crimes. Her defense argued that prosecutors failed to prove she was aware of the systematic killings occurring at Stutthof. However, the court found that her role in the camp's administration made her a conscious accomplice to the Nazi regime's actions, as she was privy to information about deportations and executions. This ruling is significant as it may represent one of the last trials of its kind, given the advanced age of remaining suspects from the Nazi era. The case builds on a legal precedent established in 2011, which allows for the prosecution of individuals who aided in the operation of concentration camps, even if they did not directly participate in specific murders. Prosecutors have indicated that additional cases are still pending, although the fitness of suspects for trial remains a concern. Furchner's conviction highlights the ongoing efforts in Germany to address historical injustices and hold individuals accountable for their roles in the Holocaust, even decades later.