advertisement

Auschwitz survivors testify at former SS sergeant's trial

DETMOLD, Germany (AP) - Three Jewish Auschwitz survivors have testified in the second day of the trial of a former SS sergeant alleged to have served as a guard in the Nazi death camp.

The defendant, 94-year-old Reinhold Hanning, showed no emotion as the witnesses told of crematoria chimneys belching out flames, naked prisoners being taken to the gas chambers and people being shot before their eyes.

Prosecutors argue that Hanning is guilty of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder because he helped the death camp complex function, even though there is no evidence of him committing a specific crime.

About 40 survivors and their families have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs as allowed under German law. The trial is scheduled to hear three more when testimony resumes next Thursday.

94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp Reinhold Hanning waits for the start of his trial in Detmold, Germany, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Hanning faces trial for 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press
Auschwitz survivor Justin Sonder arrives at the court in Detmold, Germany Friday Feb. 12, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is on trial in detmold since Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press
Auschwitz survivor Leon Schwarzbaum arrives at the court in Detmold, Germany Friday Feb. 12, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is on trial in Detmold since Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press
Auschwitz survivor Erna de Vries arrives at the court in Detmold, Germany Friday Feb. 12, 2016. Reinhold Hanning, a 94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp is on trial in Detmold since Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year in an 11th-hour push by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes . (Bernd Thissen/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press
94-year-old former SS guard at the Auschwitz death camp Reinhold Hanning waits for the start of his trial in Detmold, Germany, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Hanning faces trial for 170,000 counts of accessory to murder, the first of up to four cases being brought to court this year by German prosecutors to punish Nazi war crimes. (Bernd Thissen/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.