Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Conviction and Punishment of Nazi War Criminal Josef Scheungraber; Praises Renewed Efforts by German Judiciary to Prosecute World War II Criminals

August 11, 2009

Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Conviction and Punishment of Nazi War Criminal Josef Scheungraber; Praises Renewed Efforts by German Judiciary to Prosecute World War II Criminals

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed the conviction today in a Munich court of former Wehrmacht lieutenant Josef Scheungraber on ten counts of murder for his role in the reprisal executions of civilians in Falzano di Cortona, Italy in June 1944. In a statement issued by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center praised the renewed efforts of the German judiciary to prosecute World War II criminals and noted the importance of these trials.

According to Zuroff:

“Today’s verdict reinforces the critical principles that the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrators and that elderly age should not serve as a legal protection for murderers. In this regard, the victims of Falzano di Cortona are just as deserving today that their killers be punished as they were in 1944.”

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