Five elderly Germans who formerly belonged to the Gestapo were sentenced to prison terms by a court at Giessen for complicity in the murder of hundreds of Poles, including Jews. The five were involved in the selection of people for “special treatment” at Gestapo headquarters at Ciechanaow, Poland, which Germany annexed in 1939 and incorporated into East Prussia.
According to the court, the rulers of the Third Reich held the “chief responsibility” for the murders. But the court rejected the claim by the accused that they did not know “special treatment” meant execution. Two of them, Hermann Schaper 65, and Dr. Erich Bartels, 68, were each sentenced to six years. Both face separate charges in another case being heard at Giessen.
Others sentenced were Franz Hartmann, 67, to 4 1/2 years in prison; Hans Doermage, 70 and Kurt Baresel, 50, each to four years and three months. Another defendant, Ernst Schardt, 65, was acquitted. Charges against Otto Roehr, 69, were dropped.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
