[JURIST] A 91-year-old German woman was charged today for her role at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp [in Polish] as an SS radio operator from April to June 1944. German prosecutors from the state of Schleswig-Holstein [official website, in German] announced that the woman, whose name was not disclosed due to German privacy laws, has been charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder because she “helped the camp function.” Prosecutors allege that the woman was a member of the Nazi paramilitary organization, the Schutzstaffel, and served as radio operator to the camp’s commandant. Although there is no indication she is unfit for trial, it is expected that a court will rule on the question next year.

German courts have recently seen a flurry of war crimes-related charges against former members of the German Nazi party. Prior to 2011, German prosecutors often chose not to charge individuals they regarded as simply “cogs” in, rather than active members of, the Nazi war machine. The 2011 conviction [JURIST report] of former Nazi guard John Demjanjuk may have emboldened German prosecutors to pursue cases against all those who materially helped Nazi Germany function. The most recent person imprisoned for their role in the Holocaust was Oskar Groening. Known as the “accountant of Auschwitz,” Groening was charged [JURIST report] in September of last year as an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people. In June, Groening was given a four-year jail sentence for his role in Auschwitz, a sentence Groening said he would appeal [JURIST reports].