A former Nazi security guard has been sentenced to five years in prison in a German court.
As reported by The Independent, the 101-year-old man - who has not been identified - has been found guilty of 3,518 counts accessory to murder as a result of his service at the Nazi Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II.
He was accused of working as a member of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing on the outskirts of Berlin between 1942 and 1945.
The Brandenburg state resident was sentenced to five years by the Neuruppin Regional Court on Tuesday (June 28) after the court ruled that he aided and abetted the murder of thousands of prisoners.
On Monday, the man once again denied ever working as an SS guard at the camp.
As the proceedings came to a close, the man told the court: "I don't know why I am here."
Alleged crimes brought against the man included participating in "execution by firing squad of Soviet prisoners of war in 194" and the deployment of "poisonous gas Zyklon B".
"H" claims that at the time of his alleged crimes, he was working as a farm laborer and had "absolutely nothing" to do with the atrocities committed at Sachsenhausen. Prosecutors, however, successfully argued otherwise, stating that the man "knowingly and willingly" participated in crimes as a guard.
The court was shown documents for a guard at the camp with the same name, birthday, and birthplace as the accused.
"The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years," presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann told the man, adding: "You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity."
Per The New York Times, prosecutors were unable to link the man directly to any deaths of the camp's prisoners.
The man is reportedly the oldest person in history to have stood trial for Nazi war crimes.
His lawyer has revealed that his client will appeal the ruling if authorities attempt to send him to prison.
Due to the man's age and health, officials would need to acquire declaration by a medical commission stating that he is fit enough to be imprisoned.
The trial has been ongoing since October, 2021, with proceedings taking place at the Neuruppin regional court. Due to the fact that the trial was interrupted on multiple occasions due to reasons associated with the man's health, it is unclear if he will ever see the inside of a prison cell.
Although, Thomas Will - who heads Germany's government office tasked with investigating Nazi-era crimes - says "murder does not have a statute of limitations".
"It is what’s right and of course it would have been what was right 70 years ago," Will said.
The Times reports that German prosecutors are "racing" to bring surviving Nazi criminals to justice as the perpetrators grow older and their numbers dwindle.
Germany’s highest criminal court has even ruled that former guards who worked at Nazi concentration camps could be convicted, even if no specific crime(s) could be proven against them.
Thousands of prisoners were executed at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during is operation under the Nazis.
It was eventually liberated by Soviet troops in 1945 - with approximately 3,400 inmates being found alive.
