German Court Upholds Conviction of Nazi Camp Secretary

Germany's Federal Court of Justice has upheld the conviction of 99-year-old Irmgard Furchner, a former secretary at the Stutthof concentration camp, for being an accessory to more than 10,000 murders and five attempted murders committed during World War II. Furchner worked as a stenographer in the camp's commandant's office from June 1943 to April 1945, a period during which approximately 65,000 people died at the camp. The court confirmed a two-year suspended juvenile sentence given in December 2022, rejecting her defense's argument that she was unaware of the atrocities. This ruling is significant as it emphasizes that even individuals in support roles can be held accountable for Nazi crimes. The case is one of the last of its kind, as most suspects from that era are now very advanced in age. The decision serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of justice for Holocaust survivors.