100-Year-Old Ex-Nazi Guard Faces Retrial

German authorities are moving forward with prosecuting Gregor Formanek, a 100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard, after the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court overturned a previous ruling that deemed him unfit for trial due to insufficient factual basis in the expert's assessment. Formanek is accused of aiding and abetting the murder of 3,322 prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The initial decision was based on an expert's assessment, which the higher court found lacked sufficient facts, as the expert could not properly interview Formanek nor conduct extensive psychiatric tests. The case has now been sent back to the Hanau Regional Court for further proceedings, potentially leading to a trial in early 2025. These developments highlight Germany's ongoing efforts to bring the last surviving Nazi war criminals to justice, following a significant 2011 ruling that enabled such prosecutions. The case underscores the continuous legal and moral efforts to address historical crimes, despite the advanced age of the accused.