"Human Dignity Must Be Respected at Any Cost"…Germany Pursues War Crimes to the End

93-Year-Old Seeks Forgiveness After 75 Years
Convicted of War Crimes at 17
Germany Remembers and Does Not Forget War Crimes

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A 93-year-old German man was convicted for a crime committed 75 years ago. The judgment was made for the crime he committed at the age of 17. The man named Bruno Dei was accused of aiding and abetting the Holocaust (mass genocide) that took place before his eyes. From 1944 to 1945, he served as a guard belonging to the Nazi SS at the Stutthof concentration camp in Poland. The court held him responsible for witnessing the deaths of 5,230 people during this period and doing nothing.

On the 23rd (local time), the Juvenile Court in Hamburg, Germany, sentenced Dei to two years of probation. Initially, German prosecutors sought a three-year sentence for Dei, arguing that he prevented prisoners, including Jews and political prisoners, from escaping while serving as a camp guard. However, the reason he avoided imprisonment was not due to his old age or other factors. He was granted probation because the court considered his age at the time?17 years old?and regarded it as a youthful mistake. The trial was also conducted in a juvenile court.

Bruno Day standing in the courtroom
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Dei, who attended the trial in a wheelchair, made a final statement saying, "I feel it is very important to express my thoughts about what I learned during the trial process." He said, "Until now, I thought I was forced to work at the Nazi SS concentration camp and that my guard duties were just following orders. But after hearing the testimonies of witnesses and experts, I truly realized the magnitude of the fear and suffering." He continued, "I want to ask for forgiveness from those who endured this insane hell," adding, "Such things must never happen again."

More than 30 survivors testified at this trial. They witnessed relatives dying at the electrified fences of the Stutthof concentration camp, survivors having to collect the remains of the dead, and the horrific conditions of being naked in subzero temperatures.

Dei testified that he heard screams coming from the gas chambers at the camp and directly witnessed the burning of the victims' bodies. However, he claimed he never personally fired a gun and confessed that the horrors and fear from that time have haunted him throughout his life. Dei's defense team also argued, "His role as a camp guard was not a choice, and if he had allowed Jewish prisoners to escape or failed to perform his duties, he himself would have been in danger." They claimed he followed orders to survive.

German Hamburg Court
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Nevertheless, the court found him guilty. Regarding this, the court stated, "Human dignity must be respected at any cost," adding, "Even if it means risking one's own safety."

In Germany, the pursuit of accountability for war criminals who have not yet been tried continues. Most of those who stand trial, like Dei, are already over 90 years old and played only auxiliary roles in the process of mass genocide. Until now, these individuals had largely escaped prosecution by German judicial authorities during the Cold War era. However, after reunification, the German government emphasized the importance of remembrance and atonement. To this end, they established a Holocaust memorial in the capital and created compensation funds for victims of Nazi war crimes. Over the following decades, the German judiciary has continued to pursue trials against war criminals without pause.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.