Germany: Ex-Nazi camp guard dies, ending case against him

German prosecutors have closed a case against a 99-year-old man after the alleged former Nazi concentration camp guard died, authorities announced on Tuesday.

With the number of suspected Nazi war criminals dwindling due to old age, German authorities have been pushing to prosecute former concentration camp guards, secretaries and other workers.

What do we know about the case?

Prosecutors in the southern German town of Coburg announced the suspect's death, noting that he was suspected of being complicit in murders that took place during his time as a Nazi camp guard.

"Since the accused has died in the meantime, the case is now closed," prosecutors said in a brief statement.

The 99-year-old, who was not identified, was thought to have worked as a guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp between 1943 and 1945, authorities said.

Prosecutors added that prior to the man's death, they were not able to determine an exact number of murder cases at the camp where the man could have been considered complicit.

"It was not yet possible to determine the exact number of cases," prosecutors said in the statement.

Investigations were already at an advanced stage and the suspect was deemed fit enough to stand trial, reported German newspaper the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Ravensbrück, located in northeastern Germany, was the largest Nazi concentration camp for women. It was later expanded to include a small section for men as well as a juvenile camp for young girls.

During 1939 and 1945, at least 120,000 women and children as well as 20,000 men were registered as prisoners. An additional 1,200 young girls were logged as prisoners at the separate juvenile camp.

Women from over 30 countries were imprisoned at the camp, including those who were Jewish, Roma and Sinti.

An estimated 92,000 people died at the camp, according to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. They either succumbed to disease and hunger, or were murdered in gas chambers or were shot and killed. Others were killed in pseudo-scientific medical experiments carried out by the Nazis.

Germany prosecuting aging Holocaust perpetrators

Germany has been working to prosecute perpetrators of the Holocaust as more suspected war criminals, and Holocaust survivors, die.

A landmark ruling in 2011 has allowed people to be prosecuted as an accessory to the murders in Nazi death camps, even if they cannot be shown to have directly killed anyone.

In December, a 97-year-old former Nazi camp secretary was found guilty of being complicit in the murder of over 10,000 people at the Stutthof concentration camp that was located in occupied Poland.

She was handed a suspended sentence, which she is appealing.

Another former Nazi camp guard, who is 101-years-old, was sentenced to five years in prison for being an accessory to murder in 3,500 cases at the Sachsenhausen camp.

Prosecutors, however, have had to close cases in recent years after the accused former camp workers died or were deemed physically unable to stand trial.

rs/msh (AFP, dpa)