It’s troubling from many angles. On the one hand, this is an old man. On the other hand, he participated in crimes that should have been punished long ago. His tranquil longevity is stolen. On the other hand, the particulars of the crimes he participated in are highly material. Other than being a guard, what did he do? Being a guard involved keeping people in a concentration camp, where they were murdered and enslaved. But rebelling against this role and actively freeing them would have resulted in his death. So, how to judge this man. He’s a criminal, but also a victim. Some leniency is in order, but had he turned himself in for justice in 1946, rather than hiding for 74 years, I would have an easier time being lenient. Hiding is symptomatic of guilt, just like running. Let the judge decide. It’s a tough case.
But rebelling against this role and actively freeing them would have resulted in his death.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. Romans 5:7
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13.
What a terrible position to put a young man in. What kind of life has this man lived? Has he been a good person? Has he been tormented all his life by what he did as a youth? I would want the answer to those questions, before I would be able to pass sentence on him. He wasn’t able to bring himself to refuse to cooperate with the Nazis, as a youth. Is he now willing to receive the punishment for his actions, or is he trying to find a way out? He should have turned himself in at the end of the war. But, again, can a teenager make such a decision as that?
And remember, George Soros was in a similar situation, and we all think he should be put in prison, executed, and go straight to hell. So, I guess what kind of human being this other man became, makes a difference. At least to me.