A middle-aged Jewish woman today broke down and wept in a Belgian military court during her testimony against Philip Johann Schmitt, former commander of a Nazi concentration camp at Breendonck, Reuters reported.
Mrs. Stimea Osnos, who was captured by the Nazis during the war while she was serving as a member of the Belgian Resistance, testified that Schmitt personally conducted her “interrogation” in 1942 during which she was forced to stand 12 hours a day in an unlighted cell and was whipped and shocked by electricity as well as placed in a “sweat box” where steam jets were played on her body. Schmitt smiled throughout her testimony.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
