Auschwitz operator court records on World Heritage Site

Auschwitz operator court records on World Heritage Site. June. 11, 2016 08:26. by 파리=전승훈특파원 raphy@donga.com.

Germany decided to push ahead with registering at the UNESCO World Heritage Site the court records of people who had engaged in the operation of the Auschwitz, arguably the most notorious of all the Nazi death camps. This marks the movement by the offender, not the war victims, to preserve records of the gloomy past. Such attitude starkly contrasts with that of Japan, who has repeatedly denied its past wrongdoings including the forced mobilization of comfort women.

The Hessen state government of Germany said Thursday it will push ahead its plans to register the court records of 22 war criminals who had helped operation of Auschwitz, AP reported. Hessen has already submitted to UNESCO 454 documents on Auschwitz court records and 103 audio records. Whether to register the records will be decided next year and it is highly likely that it will be registered.

The Frankfurt court trial is the largest one for war criminals following the Nuremberg trial immediately after World War II where Nazi SS operators who helped the operation of the camp were summoned to court.

"If our application is approved, this will send a sign to the world that Germany is continuously taking responsibility to the Nazi crime and holocaust."

UNESCO World Heritage Site system has been created to preserve world heritages on to the future. Among records on holocaust during World War II, The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank was registered in 2009, which was a story of Jewish girl Anne writing her daily life while hiding from Nazi's oppression.

In contrast, Japan is trying to guard itself by strongly resisting to registering comfort woman materials at UNESCO World Heritage Site. China registered there materials of the Nanjing Massacre in October last year. Civic groups in many countries including Korea and China have recently applied for registration of comfort women materials on UNESCO.