The trial of Dutch war criminal Heinrich Boere was halted today shortly after it began.
The defence lawyers demanded a change of prosecutor. They claim the public prosecutor is prejudiced since he appeared on a Dutch TV programme last month and said Boere was guilty and should go to jail.
The trial will resume on Monday.
Former SS-man Heinrich Boere, now 88, shot dead three Dutch resistance fighters during World War II in reprisal for anti-Nazi attacks. He does not deny the killings and told a magazine two years ago “It wasn't difficult. You just had to bend a finger”. He added, “We thought we were doing the right thing.”
He was condemned to death in absentia by a Dutch court in 1949.
Germany refused to extradite him since he had been granted German nationality and German citizens could not be tried for crimes committed abroad. This is now possible as a result of new European legislation introduced in 2000.
photo by EPA
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