Survivors and members of the Jewish community were outraged recently when they heard that Erich Priebke, a former Nazi officer who was convicted of war crimes and has been serving a house arrest life sentence, was given permission to leave each day to work at his attorney’s office.
Priebke has been in prison or house arrest since he was extradited to Italy in 1994 from Argentina. He was convicted of war crimes three years later for his role in the massacre of 335 civilians at the Ardeatine Caves on the outskirts of Rome.
Priebke has admitted shooting two people and helping round up the victims, but has always insisted he was just following orders and should not be held responsible.
The massacre Priebke took part in took place after a partisan attack killed 33 Nazis in Rome.
House arrest in such a case is not justice anyhow – let alone if he’s allowed to leave for any reason. Someone guilty of a crime like this belongs in prison – period. For life.