Maurice Papon, a former Cabinet Minister, was yesterday formally charged with “crimes against humanity” for his acts during World War II when he served as a high-ranking official in the Vichy government. Jewish organizations and surviving Jewish families accuse Papon of having collaborated with the Nazis in the deportation of over 1,000 Jews, including some 200 children, from Bordeaux.
Papon, who joined the French resistance in 1943, is charged with having signed a number of official documents providing for French police cooperation with the Nazis in the deportation of Bordeaux Jews. A jury of honor, called by Papon last year, to clear him of all guilt and suspicions, ruled that Papon had indeed been a resistance fighter but said that he should have resigned from his official duties in 1942 to avoid having to cooperate with the Nazis.
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