The Facts
In what could be the final trial of its kind, a 97-year-old female former secretary at a Nazi concentration camp was found guilty in a German court on Tuesday of being an accessory in the murder of over 10k people during the Holocaust.
Irmgard Furchner, nicknamed "the secretary of evil" by German media, was sentenced to two years in prison in a landmark trial for her role in helping run the Stutthof concentration camp.
The Spin
Narrative A
While those responsible for the Holocaust should rightfully be held to account, it's unclear just how much justice victims and families will truly get by convicting perpetrators who either don't have to serve their sentences because of their advanced age or receive lenient ones, such as in this case. It's time to consider alternative but equally promising ways of dealing with unresolved Holocaust crimes.
Narrative B
Trials like this are vital to keeping the tragedy of the Holocaust in our collective memories, and they send an important signal, reaffirming the political and moral responsibility of individuals in authoritarian regimes. This is especially true in this case, as the role played by female Nazi war criminals is often overlooked.