Michael Seifert (SS guard)
Encyclopedia
Michael Seifert was an SS
guard in Italy
during World War II
.
He was an ethnic German born in Landau
(present-day Mykolaiv Oblast
, Ukraine
). Dubbed the "Beast of Bolzano", he was convicted in absentia
in 2000 by a military tribunal
in Verona
, Italy
, on nine counts of murder
, committed while he was an SS guard at the Bolzano Transit Camp
, northern Italy.
He was sentenced to life in prison and extradited
on February 17, 2008, from Canada
to Italy. His crimes involved actions taken in a prison camp in Bolzano from 1944 to 1945. At his trial, witnesses accused him of leaving a prisoner to starve to death, raping and killing a pregnant woman, and gouging an inmate's eyes out.
Avi Benlolo, president of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
in Canada, noted that Seifert's imprisonment "sets an example for other war criminals, not only Nazi war criminals, but war criminals related to Rwanda
, Bosnia, Darfur
, or any other genocide
, that there's no time limit to justice
".
After his extradition to Italy from Canada, Seifert was held in an Italian military prison in Santa Maria Capua Vetere
. Prosecutors from Italy and Germany
intended to interview him regarding other war crimes that may have taken place at Bolzano.
He died in 2010 in Santa Maria after having been transferred to a hospital from the Capua Vetere prison. He was buried in a cemetery near Caserta after his body went unclaimed by friends and relatives. http://www.suedtirolnews.it/d/artikel/2011/03/27/bestie-von-bozen-in-caserta-begraben.html
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
guard in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was an ethnic German born in Landau
Shyrokolanivka
Shyrokolanivka is a village in the Veselynivskyi Raion of the Mykolaiv Oblast in southern Ukraine. It is located along the east bank of the Berezan River....
(present-day Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Dubbed the "Beast of Bolzano", he was convicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
in 2000 by a military tribunal
Military tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on nine counts of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, committed while he was an SS guard at the Bolzano Transit Camp
Bolzano Transit Camp
The Bolzano transit camp was a Nazi concentration camp active in Bolzano between 1944 and the end of the Second World War. It was one of the largest Nazi Lager on Italian soil, along with those of Fossoli, Borgo San Dalmazzo and Trieste.-History:...
, northern Italy.
He was sentenced to life in prison and extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
on February 17, 2008, from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Italy. His crimes involved actions taken in a prison camp in Bolzano from 1944 to 1945. At his trial, witnesses accused him of leaving a prisoner to starve to death, raping and killing a pregnant woman, and gouging an inmate's eyes out.
Avi Benlolo, president of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
in Canada, noted that Seifert's imprisonment "sets an example for other war criminals, not only Nazi war criminals, but war criminals related to Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Bosnia, Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, or any other genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, that there's no time limit to justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
".
After his extradition to Italy from Canada, Seifert was held in an Italian military prison in Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
-External links:*...
. Prosecutors from Italy and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
intended to interview him regarding other war crimes that may have taken place at Bolzano.
He died in 2010 in Santa Maria after having been transferred to a hospital from the Capua Vetere prison. He was buried in a cemetery near Caserta after his body went unclaimed by friends and relatives. http://www.suedtirolnews.it/d/artikel/2011/03/27/bestie-von-bozen-in-caserta-begraben.html
External links
- Canada sends ex-SS guard to Italy (BBC)
- War-crimes fugitive loses appeal bid (canada.com)