Ex-SS sergeant charged over 170,000 deaths declared fit for trial

Man (93) charged with accessory to murder while serving as Auschwitz guard

The man is accused of being an accessory to murders at Auschwitz during the second World War. Photograph:  Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The man is accused of being an accessory to murders at Auschwitz during the second World War. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

A 93-year-old former SS sergeant charged with 170,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served as an Auschwitz death camp guard has been declared fit for trial.

The Detmold state court said a doctor determined that Reinhold H, whose last name was not given for privacy reasons, is fit to stand trial so long as sessions are limited to two hours per day.

Defence lawyers and prosecutors now have two weeks to submit responses to the expert opinion. The court will then decide whether to open a trial.

The man is accused of being an accessory to murders at Auschwitz from January 1943 to June 1944.

READ MORE

The suspect says he was assigned to a part of the camp not involved in the mass murders.