Irmgard Furchner Explained

Birth Date:29 May 1925
Birth Name:Irmgard Dirksen[1]
Nationality:German
Known For:Working at the Stutthof concentration camp
Occupation:Secretary, stenographer
Conviction:Accessory to murder (11,412 counts)
Accessory to attempted murder (18 counts)
Criminal Penalty:Two-year suspended jail term

Irmgard Furchner (Dirksen; 29 May 1925) is a German former concentration camp secretary and stenographer at the Stutthof concentration camp, where she worked for camp commandant Paul-Werner Hoppe.[2] In 2021, at the age of 96, she was charged with 11,412 counts of accessory to murder and 18 additional counts of accessory to attempted murder,[3] [4] [5] and in December 2022, she was found guilty and sentenced to a suspended jail term of two years.[6] [7] This conviction would also later be upheld by the German Federal Court of Justice in August 2024.[8] [9]

Trial

Furchner's trial was held in a juvenile court in Itzehoe, as Furchner was only 18 years old at the time of the alleged offenses. She had worked at the camp between June 1943 and April 1945.[10] She had announced in advance that she did not wish to appear in court and asked the judge not to expect her to do so; indicating in a letter that she would boycott her trial as "degrading". In a criminal trial, however, the presence of the accused is essential.

In February 2021, German prosecutors would charge Furchner with at least 10,000 counts of accessory to murder. Upon being charged, Furchner acknowledged that she had worked as the secretary to SS officer Paul Werner Hoppe in Stutthof, though she still denied ever setting foot in the camp or knowing of the murders which took place there.[11] At the end of September 2021, a few hours before the start of her trial, she left the Quickborn retirement home where she resided and took a cab to the Norderstedt Mitte subway station. The president of the criminal chamber subsequently issued a warrant for her arrest; Furchner was quickly captured and arrested.[12] [13] [14] Five days later, she was released from pretrial detention under conditions. The trial was postponed until 19 October 2021.[15] [16] Towards the end of the trial, Furchner stated "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I regret that I was in Stutthof at the time. I can't say anything else."

On 20 December 2022, Furchner was found guilty of complicity in the murders of more than 10,500 people and sentenced to a two-year suspended jail term.[17] On 20 August 2024, The German Federal Court of Justice upheld Furchner's conviction.[18]

Personal life

Following the end of World War II, Furchner married Heinz Furchstam (a former SS squad leader who died in 1972). She was later employed as an administrative worker in northern Germany.

Notes and References

  1. News: Irmgard Furchner: The 96-year-old alleged Nazi war criminal on trial in Germany. 28 October 2021. Sommerlad. Joe. The Independent.
  2. News: Nazi Stutthof camp secretary flees as German trial starts . June 28, 2022 . BBC . September 30, 2021 . 10 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211110100058/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58747082 . live .
  3. Web site: 2021-10-19. Former Nazi camp secretary goes on trial over murders of 11,000 people. Kate. Connolly. 2021-11-07. the Guardian. en. 4 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211104065539/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/19/former-nazi-camp-secretary-trial-murders-11000-people-irmgard-furchner. live.
  4. News: 2021-09-30. Nazi Stutthof camp secretary flees as German trial starts. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-11-07. 10 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110100058/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58747082. live.
  5. News: Jüttner. Julia. 2021-09-30. Itzehoe: Ehemalige KZ-Sekretärin vor Prozessbeginn geflohen. de. Der Spiegel. 2021-11-07. 2195-1349. 27 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211027210919/https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/itzehoe-ehemalige-kz-sekretaerin-vor-prozessbeginn-geflohen-a-6c4e3e70-4d54-4e33-b27c-610d1cc03346. live.
  6. News: 2022-12-20 . Imrgard Furchner: Nazi typist guilty of complicity in 10,505 murders . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-12-20.
  7. Web site: 97-year-old former Nazi secretary sentenced for involvement in more than 10,000 murders. 20 December 2022 . CNN.
  8. News: German court upholds ex-Nazi camp secretary conviction. Luisa. von Richtfofen. Duetsche Welle. 20 August 2024. 20 August 2024.
  9. News: Court upholds 99-year-old Nazi camp worker's murder conviction. Reuters. 20 August 2024. 20 August 2024.
  10. Web site: 2022-12-20 . German court convicts ex-Nazi camp secretary . 2022-12-20 . . en.
  11. News: German prosecutors charge secretary to Nazi camp commandant. David. Rising. Associated Press. 5 February 2021. 20 August 2024.
  12. Web site: Connolly . Kate . 2021-09-30 . Ex-Nazi concentration camp secretary, 96, caught after fleeing before trial . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211107130358/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/30/former-nazi-concentration-camp-secretary-96-faces-trial . 7 November 2021 . 2021-11-07 . The Guardian . en.
  13. Web site: Bronst. Sebastian. Prosecution at trial of Nazi camp secretary: Gas chamber cries 'clearly audible'. 19 October 2021. 2021-11-07. www.timesofisrael.com. en-US. 7 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211107130405/https://www.timesofisrael.com/prosecution-at-trial-of-nazi-camp-secretary-gas-chamber-cries-clearly-audible/. live.
  14. News: Schuetze. Christopher F.. 2021-09-30. German Police Arrest 96-Year-Old Nazi Suspect Who Tried to Skip Court. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-11-07. 0362-4331. 7 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211107045134/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/world/europe/irmgard-furchner-germany-nazi.html. live.
  15. Web site: 2021-10-27. The 96-year-old alleged Nazi war criminal on trial in Germany. Joe. Sommerlad. 2021-11-07. The Independent. en. 7 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211107130405/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/irmgard-furchner-murder-trial-nazi-camp-b1946441.html. live.
  16. News: Connolly. Kate. Former Nazi camp secretary who fled trial appears in court. 19 October 2021. 2021-11-07. The Irish Times. en. 19 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019210917/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/former-nazi-camp-secretary-who-fled-trial-appears-in-court-1.4705127. live.
  17. News: Kirby . Paul . Greenall . Robert . Irmgard Furchner: Nazi typist guilty of complicity in 10,500 murders.. 20 December 2022 . BBC News . 20 December 2022.
  18. News: A German court upholds the conviction of a former secretary at a Nazi concentration camp, age 99. Geir. Moulson. Associated Press. 20 August 2024. 20 August 2024.

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