# Should Nazi war criminals continue to be prosecuted?



## GhostLatte (Jan 27, 2018)

This is a very sensitive topic. Leave now if you do not like the sensitivity. Please be civil in the discussion.


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## MichiS97 (Jan 27, 2018)

Yes. Yes, definitely. Yes, without any exceptions.


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## ThoD (Jan 27, 2018)

Why would someone feel offended? But anyway, on topic...

Depends if you are referring to the people who are still running away from the charges of their crimes or if you mean those on trial. Generally, I think people should get punished for whatever actions they did, both parties actually. So Nazi war criminals (that did an actual crime rather than the random bottom command guys following orders) should be prosecuted until they have been trialed and have received an adequate sentence. Not in a witch-trial way, but a civil one. However, you can't prosecute only the Nazi side, the other countries should be too, victorious or not. That's one thing I can never stand about history...


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## GhostLatte (Jan 27, 2018)

ThoD said:


> Why would someone feel offended? But anyway, on topic...
> 
> Depends if you are referring to the people who are still running away from the charges of their crimes or if you mean those on trial. Generally, I think people should get punished for whatever actions they did, both parties actually. So Nazi war criminals (that did an actual crime rather than the random bottom command guys following orders) should be prosecuted until they have been trialed and have received an adequate sentence. Not in a witch-trial way, but a civil one. However, you can't prosecute only the Nazi side, the other countries should be too, victorious or not. That's one thing I can never stand about history...


Let's say we're talking about SS officers who actively took part in the Holocaust.


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## Searinox (Jan 27, 2018)

Time doesn't make wrong right. But can they? I know there's statutory limits on law enforcement.


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## Julizi (Jan 27, 2018)

Germany just abolished the limitation period for murder in 1979 after it has prolonged it twice and the period of limitation for genocide and murder in Nazi Germany threated to lapse on 30th May 1979. That was a very let's say easy solution of the problem.

I think that Nazi crimes should have been prosecuted right after the founding of the Federal Republic but Germany rather suppressed it own past so they bursted their own legal principle that the public peace will be restored after a period of time making it possbile that a 96yo was sentenced with four years of prison for being an accountant in Ausschwitz last year. Germany should restore the limitation period for murder after the last citizen that was born on or before the 7th May 1931 has died in my opinion. 

Fiat iustitia et pereat mundus!

If you understand German: Verjährungsdebatte.


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## TesseractStorm (Jan 27, 2018)

Absolutely. Getting old doesn't absolve them of their crimes. There's no statute of limitations on what they did. If they have the mental capacity to stand trial, then they absolutely should be prosecuted to the fullest.


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## VinsCool (Jan 27, 2018)

If they were part of crimes against humanity, it's obvious that they deserve to get charged for them, no matter how long it takes to catch them.


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## Deboog (Jan 27, 2018)

There are so few left I don't think anybody should go out searching for them, but yeah. If people know somebody committed crimes against humanity, of course prosecute them. Crimes like that have no statute of limitations lol.


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## Veho (Jan 27, 2018)

Yes. It's not a game of hide-and-seek where you get to go free if you manage to hide long enough. 
"Aaaaand time's up guys, here I am!" "Oh you were there the whole time, I can't believe we didn't find you!" "Yeah, you did good too, you almost found me a few times." "We'll get you next time for sure." "I'm sure you will. Well, I'm off. Bye!" "Bye, Adolf! Ha ha ha, what a champ." Like some Family Guy skit.


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## BullyWiiPlaza (Jan 27, 2018)

I just realized that murder does not expire in Germany so any war criminals should still legally be prosecuted. Most cases don't make sense anymore though due to a lack of proof. Realistically not much is going to happen anymore. Whoever slipped through anyway just got lucky he/she got away with it after all. They should've been prosecuted earlier but the law enforcers kept it too lax.


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## FAST6191 (Jan 27, 2018)

War crimes is a rather broad concept and statutes of limitations a complex one.

For instance
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hague05.asp


> Art. 3.
> 
> Belligerents are likewise forbidden to:
> (a) Erect on the territory of a neutral Power a wireless telegraphy station or other apparatus for the purpose of communicating with belligerent forces on land or sea; "



I am not sure of the particular value of prosecuting someone for that today. Indeed I would only really expect to see it as a end run type thing (we want you for blah but proving it is tricky*, we do however know we have this and thus you are being charged with that).

*for as few as there likely are surviving and/or capable then witnesses are likely similarly thin on the ground.

There are however other scenarios wherein what I believe would be at least a 90 something (an 18 year old in 1945 would be 90 today, though younger ones could have done something) would benefit the world to have to answer for some actions they may have taken. Possibly to provide some solace to somebody or assist in some kind of asset recovery.

Deboog mentioned searching for them. I will spin it another way and ponder what priority I would assign to it. For the most part I would probably sooner see almost anybody involved in the Yugoslav and Kosovo stuff have the effort assigned to them, or indeed almost any other post ww2 conflict.


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## shadoom (Jan 27, 2018)

the "war criminals" that usually get prosecuted were teenagers at the time and didn't really have any other chance. It was either death or that.
The media doesn't care that it was just a boy that probably made coffee for the nazis at the time.
A Nazi scapegoat is always welcome in modern times.


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## Polopop123 (Jan 27, 2018)

Put your time and resources elsewhere in my opinion. Much bigger things to worry about than some feeble 90 year old man


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## Viri (Jan 31, 2018)

Yes, all sides should. That includes the allies too. I don't care what side you were on, if you committed war crimes, you should be prosecuted.


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## Xzi (Jan 31, 2018)

Polopop123 said:


> Put your time and resources elsewhere in my opinion. Much bigger things to worry about than some feeble 90 year old man


The few left would probably be nearing 100 by now.  Also, America pardoned a lot of Nazis, scientists mostly.


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## ThisIsDaAccount (Jan 31, 2018)

Yup. End of story


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## Deleted User (Jan 31, 2018)

Yes, they should receive a fair punishment. That's justice even if they regret it now.
This applies not only to Nazis but anyone involved in crimes against humanity.


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## Polopop123 (Jan 31, 2018)

Xzi said:


> The few left would probably be nearing 100 by now.  Also, America pardoned a lot of Nazis, scientists mostly.


Fairly certain they hired them for the Manhattan Project. Either they did or it’s a conspiracy


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## Noctosphere (Feb 2, 2018)

Well...
Imo, only leaders like general should be
Others were just warrior obeying leaders orders


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## Sarvesh50 (Feb 2, 2018)

They should be prosecuted.. It's Justice first and second a good example to those neo nazi's..

Edit: Wow this is really complicated.. Like others said the remaining people that committed the crime are really old now. And in Germany's case the whole holocaust wasn't really considered a crime during the second world war.
 Propaganda makes it complicated.. if you raise a country to believe that the crime they are committing isn't one. And like others said there are soldiers that are following orders is it still a crime?

My answer is yes. Could the soldiers do anything about it? Probably no they would have been killed if they didn't cooperate.. 

And to be honest i still think they should pay for their crimes.. Never forget and show the world that crimes against humanity is wrong.


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## lisreal2401 (Feb 2, 2018)

Yup.

Time isn't an indication of innocence.


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## RyanAnayaMc (Feb 2, 2018)

I would have to say no. While yes, what they did was unforgivable, there probably aren't many left and tracking them down would be difficult enough. In addition, would there even be any evidence of it? Even if they were still alive, it would be fairly pointless to put them on trial right now because of how old they are. They really don't have much of a life sentence left because those people won't have much of a life left to serve it. A person born in the 30s would be at least in their 80s right now. I firmly believe that justice should have been served long before. If they fled to avoid prosecution in the Nuremburg trials, then authorities should have invested the time to serve them justice long before the turn of the century. And for those saying it would make an example to the Neo-Nazis, why not prosecute_ them_? Prosecuting a Neo-Nazi would send a far clearer message than prosecuting a 90-year-old Nazi.

Tl;dr No. Any justice done for them today isn't going to be punishment enough. They are too old to be put in a life sentence since their lives would be too short to pay for their crimes. They should have been prosecuted long ago for their crimes.


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## Noctosphere (Feb 2, 2018)

Sarvesh50 said:


> They should be prosecuted.. It's Justice first and second a good example to those neo nazi's..
> 
> Edit: Wow this is really complicated.. Like others said the remaining people that committed the crime are really old now. And in Germany's case the whole holocaust wasn't really considered a crime during the second world war.
> Propaganda makes it complicated.. if you raise a country to believe that the crime they are committing isn't one. And like others said there are soldiers that are following orders is it still a crime?
> ...


Err... i think he was talking about nazi, not neonazi


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## dpad_5678 (Feb 2, 2018)

Noctosphere said:


> Well...
> Imo, only leaders like general should be
> Others were just warrior obeying leaders orders


--nvmnd--


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## MasterJ360 (Feb 2, 2018)

I don't care if they were just following orders they were part of a military not only against our nation and allies, but wanted to torture/purge out the entire Jewish population.
It's like saying the the terrorists involved in 911 were just following orders to kill civilians....


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## Saiyan Lusitano (Feb 2, 2018)

If we're being fair in punishing all those who deserve. Don't forget the Bolshevik criminals, too.


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## FAST6191 (Feb 2, 2018)

Noctosphere said:


> Well...
> Imo, only leaders like general should be
> Others were just warrior obeying leaders orders



"just following orders" is considered a very poor excuse, though it can be one, indeed some call it the Nuremberg defense as it was so commonly used. On the other hand war crimes are typically not held to be a valid use of it.



Sarvesh50 said:


> And in Germany's case the whole holocaust wasn't really considered a crime during the second world war.
> Propaganda makes it complicated.. if you raise a country to believe that the crime they are committing isn't one. And like others said there are soldiers that are following orders is it still a crime?



That was pretty much the first thing the Nuremberg trials had to establish for themselves. Answer was yes they could prosecute and as the country was a signatory on various conventions then things apply.


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## ARandomUser (Feb 2, 2018)

I think they should be prosecuted. Time shouldn't be a shield of crimes.


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## xpoverzion (Feb 2, 2018)

Hell No.  They never should have been prosecuted in the first place.  War is war.  Germany declared war against "Israel."  How else do you fight a war against a country that has no borders?  So whether you are killing people door to door with rifles, drones, or smart bombs, it's all the same thing.  If you are going to prosecute Germans for killing thier enemy at the time, then you should be prosecuting americans as well for killing, and displacing millions of people in the middle east, of whom most are completely innocent.


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## Viri (Feb 2, 2018)

FAST6191 said:


> "just following orders" is considered a very poor excuse, though it can be one, indeed some call it the Nuremberg defense as it was so commonly used. On the other hand war crimes are typically not held to be a valid use of it.


Well, it's either do x, or we'll not only go after you, but we'll go after your entire family. It's why Rommel had to kill him self.


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## MasterJ360 (Feb 2, 2018)

Viri said:


> Well, it's either do x, or we'll not only go after you, but we'll go after your entire family. It's why Rommel had to kill him self.


Aren't leaders or captains usually get hanged or killed when they get caught anyway? I mean they are too dangerous kept alive it would be like prosecuting a dead man tbh


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## Whole lotta love (Feb 2, 2018)

Yes but all war criminals should be prosecuted. George W. Bush, everyone involved in the war crimes against Korea in the 50's, etc.

tbh I think the latter would go a very long way in dealing with the current North Korea issue. The reason they hate us is because we killed 20% of North Korea's population in 3 years, committing some of the same war crimes that had people hung at Nuremberg (like bombing dams).


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## Mark McDonut (Feb 2, 2018)

If they made the end of someone's life miserable, they deserve the same fate.


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## Mackmire (Feb 5, 2018)

ideally, I think yes, of course. But I can't imagine many of them are alive anymore, and the ones that are alive may not be fit to stand trial (if they have dementia, for example). Any who are still alive and fit to stand trial? Yes, go get em. But realistically the sand on that particular hourglass is almost run out.


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