French Court Convicts Nazi for Crimes Against Humanity

Aloïs Brunner, an old SS-officer was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Paris’ Assize Court on March 2, 2001. Brunner, one of the most sought after war criminals, of whom one does not know whether he is still alive or already deceased, was convicted in absentia and condemned to serve a ‘perpetual’ prison sentence. Austria-born Brunner joined the Austrian Nazi Party at the age of 19 in 1931 and quickly became Eichmann’s private secretary. As head of the Nazi’s Jewish affairs office in prewar Vienna, he made thousands of Jews flea to other countries to escape persecution. During the Second World War, he was responsible for deporting 47,000 Austrian Jews, 43,000 Greek Jews and mass roundups in Berlin. In June 1943, he took over the Drancy transit camp near Paris. During his 14 months as camp commander he sent another estimated 25,000 people to the concentration camps…[more]