As of: 09/30/2021 2:58 p.m.
The trial of a suspected Nazi perpetrator was due to begin in front of the regional court in Itzehoe on Thursday. But the defendant had disappeared from her nursing home in Quickborn by taxi.
The trial of a former concentration camp secretary in Itzehoe was supposed to start at 10 a.m. But when officials wanted to pick her up in her nursing home in Quickborn (Pinneberg district) that morning, she was not there. According to the court, she escaped in a taxi early in the morning. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued. Four hours later, a court spokeswoman announced: “The defendant has been found and is now being brought before the court. Her suitability for detention is to be examined.” According to the Hamburg police, the 96-year-old was caught in Langenhorner Chaussee on the city limits of Norderstedt.
The court had previously announced that the trial would continue on October 19, with the indictment being read out. According to the court, this can only begin if the defendant is present.
Absenteeism was announced by letter
According to the court, the 96-year-old announced in a letter last week that she did not want to appear for the trial. According to Milhoffer, the court replied to this letter. The defendants were told the consequences of not staying away. The court could not do anything in advance. “Rule of law measures are not possible with passive announcements,” said the court spokeswoman. In addition, due to the age of the accused and her frailty, it was unlikely that she would actually actively evade the trial.
Indictment: Aiding and abetting murder
The 96-year-old has been charged with complicity in murder in more than 11,000 cases. She had worked as a typist in the Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig from 1943 to 1945. At that time she was 18 and 19 years old, respectively. There the secretary in the headquarters is said to have known about what was going on in the camp. It is the first time that a civil employee should be negotiated. Because of the great interest in the process, the district court had moved the hearing to a hall of a logistics company in Itzehoe.
Auschwitz Committee: “Incredible contempt for the rule of law”
The International Auschwitz Committee has expressed outrage over the defendants’ flight. “This shows an incredible contempt for the rule of law and also for the survivors,” said Vice-Executive President Christoph Heubner.
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AUDIO: Trial of concentration camp secretary: defendant escapes from nursing home (1 min)
