Between mercy and justice

The verdict against John Demjanjuk is a balancing act between mercy and justice, writes the left-liberal daily La Repubblica: "At a time when the right-wing extremists in many European countries from Hungary to Denmark are making gains in elections and contributing to a surge in authoritarianism the verdict of the Munich court takes on political and ethical dimensions that allow for different interpretations. Germany (one of the few EU countries where the far right is not represented in parliament) has not declined to reappraise the past. But this judgement it also stresses the importance of being merciful and considerate towards those who have reached old age - even someone who in his youth prevented more than 28,000 people from themselves reaching old age. This could have a divisive impact on the world's conscience."

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