Ever since the end of World War II, the U.S. government and outside agencies have discovered the presence of Nazi SS prison guards who quietly escaped justice in Europe and ended up over here living amongst us. All concealed their true identities; many became U.S. citizens. When they're been discovered, they've been stripped of their citizenship and taken into custody to await transport back to Europe to stand trial for their alleged crimes during the Holocaust.
Now these former SS men are 80 years old or older. And their home nations don't want them back. They don't want to hold trials because of the embarrassment it would cause them.
Six such men are in such a situation in Michigan.
They've been stripped of their citizenship and are awaiting expulsion. But Europe doesn't want them back. The International Criminal Court cannot put them on trial as their crimes predate the ICC's founding in 2002. And these men have fewer years ahead than they do behind.
It's kind of hypocritical that Germany is willing to press charges against Donald Rumsfeld for alleged crimes against humanity in Iraq, but won't put members of the SS on trial for crimes committed during the Holocaust against Jews in the name of the German people.
So what is to be done with these SS men now?
If we do nothing and let them go, justice remains undelivered for their victims. If the decision is made to prosecute them here, will they all understand what's going on, especially those suffering from dementia or from Alzheimer's?
What a major mess.
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