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Former Nazi Convicted of Ordering Executions July 6, 2002 By STEVEN ERLANGER BERLIN, July 5 - In what could be one of Germany's last trials of Nazis, a Hamburg court today sentenced a former SS officer to seven years in prison for ordering the killing of 59 Italian prisoners in 1944. The former SS officer, Friedrich Engel, now 93 years old, showed no emotion as the judge read out the guilty verdict. Mr. Engel was a major in command of the SS intelligence unit in Genoa, Italy, in May 1944, when a partisan attack on a movie theater killed five German soldiers. The Italians were trying to drive out the Germans, who had occupied Italy, their former ally. Mr. Engel was convicted of ordering the execution of the Italian prisoners, who were chained together and shot one after another. Mr. Engel blamed Nazi naval officers for the shootings and testified that he did not supervise the executions, although he admitted that he was present and had approved the list of prisoners to be shot. After the verdict, he was allowed to return home to await health tests to determine whether he is fit to serve prison time. His lawyer, Udo Kneip, said he would discuss an appeal with his client. During the trial, which began May 7, Mr. Engel expressed regret for the killings but said they were justified by the rules of war. Walter Emig, 79, a German submarine crew member who witnessed the killings, testified that Mr. Engel had been in charge. Mr. Engel had been convicted in absentia by an Italian court in 1999 for killing at least 246 Italian prisoners in four separate incidents. German law prevents the extradition of German citizens for crimes committed abroad. Before the verdict, he told reporters: "I have two wars behind me, and in my youth I learned that toughness is good for you. I have learned my whole life to react with toughness." The presiding judge, Rolf Seedorf, said, "It was a cruel and illegal killing," but he cited the length of time since the crime and the uneven nature of witnesses' testimony as justifications for handing down a lesser sentence than the life imprisonment the prosecutor demanded. The death penalty is illegal in Germany and the rest of the European Union. Mr. Engel had been living in Hamburg for decades until German television reporters making a documentary found him. Italy then pressed Germany to put him on trial. Mr. Engel had been investigated by the Hamburg authorities in 1969 for his role in Nazi executions in Italy, but the case was dropped the same year; the files explaining why have disappeared. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/06/international/europe/06GERM.html?ex=1026925882&ei=1&en=6bc83ca3def4e99e HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
