Fifty members of the dominant Christian Democratic Party in the Bundestag, lower house of West Germany’s Parliament, requested Parliament today to extend the statute of limitations for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals by 20 to 30 years beyond the present cut-off date of May 8, 1965. The petitioners were headed by Ernst Benda, a Christian Democratic member from Berlin.
However, the majority of the Bundestag members were reported today to be opposed to extending the statute of limitations. Leading the opposition is Dr. Eugen Gerstenmaier, president of the Bundestag. Former Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss, leader of the Christian Democrats in Bavaria, is also opposed to the 50 member petition.
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.
