The Simon Wiesenthal Center has identified dozens of former members of Nazi mobile death squads who might still be alive, and is pushing the German government for an investigation, The Associated Press has learned. (Oct. 1)
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Jerusalem – October 1, 2014
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Efraim Zuroff, Simon Wiesenthal Center:
“What we did was to check our lists of documents regarding the murders squads and find those people served in those terrible units who are the youngest people who served there, those born in this case between 1920 and 1924, and to provide the names to the German judicial authorities. And we sent the list of 80 names, 76 men, four women, who fit that description. And we are hopeful that at least some of these people can be found alive and to be brought to justice.”
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED BY B-ROLL++
2. Mid of Zuroff, Direct or of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Israel office in his office
3. Tight of folder reading “Project Einsatzgruppen”
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Efraim Zuroff, Simon Wiesenthal Center:
“First of all I think its very important to emphasize that time is running out. Every day that passes without these people being brought to justice, brings these murderers a day closer to eluding justice.”
STORYLINE:
The Simon Wiesenthal Center has identified dozens of former members of Nazi mobile death squads who might still be alive, and is pushing the German government for an investigation, The Associated Press has learned.
The Wiesenthal Center’s top ‘Nazi hunter’, Efraim Zuroff, told the AP on Wednesday that in September he sent the German justice and interior ministries a list of 76 men and four women who served in SS Einsatzgruppen.
Zuroff narrowed down the list of possible suspects by choosing the youngest from a list of some 1,100 known to his organization from the estimated 3-thousand members of the death squads.
All 80 would be very old if still alive, with dates of birth between 1920 and 1924, Zuroff said.
“Time is running out,” Zuroff said in an interview from Jerusalem. “Every day that passes without these people being brought to justice, brings these murderers a day closer to eluding justice.”
Germany’s Interior Ministry had no immediate comment but the Justice Ministry said it had passed the details of the letter to the special federal prosecutors’ office that investigates Nazi-era crimes.
