Wiesenthal Center: Today’s Conviction of Heinrich Boere is Proof that Nazi War Criminals can still be Held Accountable

March 23, 2010

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed deep satisfaction in the wake of the conviction today of Dutch Nazi war criminal Heinrich Boere in a court in Aachen, Germany. Boere, who served in the Dutch “Silbertanne” SS murder squad, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of three Dutch civilians suspected by the Nazis of hiding Jews and/or helping the resistance. In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, praised the efforts of prosecutor Ulrich Maas and noted the significance of the trial which proved that Holocaust perpetrators could still be held accountable for their crimes.

According to Zuroff:

“The conviction of Boere, who volunteered to join the SS and openly admitted the crimes he committed is an important reminder that the overwhelming majority of the murderers of the Holocaust did so willingly and without any coercion whatsoever. Despite the passage of decades, this trial clearly shows that Nazi war criminals can still be brought to justice if there is political will to do so, which unfortunately is not the case in most European countries.”


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