German prosecutors have opened an investigation into a former guard at the Nazi prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Senn, on suspicion of involvement in murder or aiding murder during World War II, according to a report in the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung.
The suspect, who is now around 100 years old, is believed to have served at the camp between 1941 and 1945.
The investigation is being led by the Central Office for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Senior prosecutor Andreas Brendel confirmed that legal proceedings are underway, though the identity of the suspect has not been made public.
Stalag Senn, also known as Stalag 326, operated in the Westphalia region during the war and was used as a prisoner-of-war camp, primarily holding Soviet Red Army soldiers, as well as Polish, French, Serbian and Italian prisoners. It is estimated that more than 300,000 prisoners passed through the camp during its operation.
Conditions in the camp were described as extremely harsh. Prisoners were initially held in pits and makeshift barracks, suffering from severe shortages of food, hygiene and medical care. Estimates suggest that between 15,000 and 70,000 prisoners died there from starvation, disease and neglect.
(Photo: Fred Ramage/AP)
U.S. Army troops from the Ninth Army entered the camp in April 1945, where mass graves containing tens of thousands of prisoners were later documented.
Prosecutors said camp personnel, including guards, were aware of the conditions and mass deaths among prisoners but are accused of failing to intervene or prevent the abuses. Guards at such camps were often older Wehrmacht soldiers or wounded personnel assigned to rear duties, tasked primarily with preventing escapes, including through the use of lethal force.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not released further details about the suspect’s exact role or the scope of his alleged involvement.