LUENEBURG, Germany (AP) — A former Auschwitz guard has testified at his trial that he bears a moral share of the blame for atrocities at the camp, but it’s up to judges to decide whether he deserves to be convicted as an accessory to murder.
As his trial opened Tuesday, 93-year-old Oskar Groening acknowledged having helped collect and tally money as part of his job dealing with the belongings stolen from people arriving at Auschwitz.
Groening told reporters as he arrived at the court in Lueneburg, south of Hamburg, that he expects an acquittal. In his statement to judges, he didn’t detail direct participation in any atrocities.
He concluded by saying to judges: “I share morally in the guilt but whether I am guilty under criminal law, you will have to decide.”
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Of course he is guilty. He knew the source of what was stolen. He may or may not be convicted, but he is undoubtedly guilty.