105-year-old investigated for crimes at Nazi PoW camp in Germany

German prosecutors are investigating a 105-year-old man for allegedly being an accessory to multiple murders at a Nazi prisoner of war camp during World War Two. The suspect is accused of being a guard at Stalag 326 VI K in Senne, northwestern Germany. Another former camp guard in the same city faced similar charges, but he passed away at the age of 99 a few months ago, according to Dortmund public prosecutor Sonja Frodermann.

The investigation into the 105-year-old is ongoing, with no statute of limitations for murder or accessory to murder in Germany since 1979. The case highlights the challenges faced by prosecutors in pursuing Nazi-era crimes, as most suspects are now deceased. Over 5.3 million soldiers from the Soviet Red Army were held captive in Germany during the war, with half of them dying.

The Senne camp was one of the largest, with one in three Soviet POWs passing through it between 1941 and 1945, often subjected to forced labor. Over 180,000-200,000 Soviet prisoners of war were registered there, with many dying there or buried at the camp. The investigation also mentions another centenarian guard from the Hemer Stalag VI A camp under scrutiny.

Despite these efforts, prosecuting perpetrators more than 80 years after the war is increasingly difficult. A 101-year-old guard from Sachsenhausen was sentenced to five years in jail in 2020, but he never served his sentence and died in 2023 while appealing. Additionally, a 99-year-old former concentration camp secretary was convicted in 2022 for assisting in murder but died last year.