Germany Sentences 94-Year-Old Former Auschwitz Guard

Reinhold Hanning was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of at least 170,000 people.

A German court has sentenced a 94-year-old former guard at the Auschwitz death camp to five years in jail.

Former SS sergeant Reinhold Hanning was found guilty on June 17 of being an accessory to the murder of at least 170,000 people.

He was a guard at Auschwitz from 1942 to 1944.

During his four-month trial, Hanning said he was ashamed that he was aware Jews were being killed but did nothing to try to stop it.

His lawyers had called for an acquittal, arguing that there is no evidence he killed or beat anyone.

The World Jewish Congress said in a statement that Hanning "got what he deserved."

Some 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz in occupied Poland.

Based on reporting by Spiegel, AP, and dpa