A notorious Nazi war criminal, convicted of participating in the murder of 8,000 Jews at the Auschwitz death camp, was released from prison today after serving less than three years of a nine year sentence imposed on him by a Frankfurt court on Aug. 20, 1965.
The freed man is Victor Capesius who was an SS officer and pharmacist at Auschwitz and was regarded s one of the worst offenders tried at the first Auschwitz war crimes trial. His crimes included theft of Jewish property for his personal use. The court that ordered his release explained its action by the fact that Capasius’s appeal is still pending before the High Court and said that it didn’t think the convicted man would try to escape. Capesius is a wealthy man, owner of several pharmacies in West Germany. His release is regarded here as the most serious of the increasing number of releases granted convicted Nazi war criminals.
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