Parliament director Harald Dossi and the S. Fischer Verlag invited a book presentation to the parliament for a book presentation as part of the series of events “Literature am Ring”. The renowned British human rights lawyer and author Philippe Sands was on site and spoke about the book “The missing from Londres 38” and his work on it. Sands was confronted with Augusto Pinochet in 1998 when he was supposed to advise him legally after his arrest in London. However, Sands took part in the indictment against the dictator and encountered Walther Rauff in his research on Pinoche’s handlong.
Therefore, Sands is devoted to himself in his new book “The missing from Londres 38. About Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia” The Pinochet dictatorship in Chile and also focuses on Walther Rauff. As a high-ranking National Socialist, Rauff was responsible for the gas ravages with which Jews, Roma, Sinti and concentration camp occupants were murdered during the Second World War. In 1949 Rauff fled to Chile and advised the Chilean dictator Pinochet when building smaller concentration camps. He also worked as an agent for the German secret service (BND).
Today, the first event of the parliamentary library this year, which takes place as part of the “Literature am Ring” series, is parliamentary vice director Susanne Janistyn-Novák, who welcomed to the event in representation of the parliamentary director. Philippe Sands’ grandfather lived in Vienna and had to flee to France in 1938, said Janistyn-Novák. Another book of Sands on the so -called “rat line” also has a strong connection to Austria. This describes the escape route that many National Socialists – with some active support from the Austrian Bishop Alois Hudal – were able to get to South America. In his research, Philippe Sands also joined Walther Rauff. With the book presented today, Sands wrote a double story about mass murder and torture and about the possibilities and limits of law, the two brutal dictatorships and overlay and for several decades. He had spoken with bereaved, involved and contemporary witness: at the same time first -hand insight into an international criminal proceedings of historical importance.
Philippe Sands in conversation with Marie-Theres Arnbom
In his conversation with historian Marie-Theres Arnbom, Philippe Sand’s insight into his book and into his work. He vividly reported on his research and countless conversations. He spoke to many people from all sides, said Sands. It is important to him to reproduce these conversations without value so that the reader can get a picture in himself. He also made the research against the background because some distant links to the story in the past turned out to be a result of the personal environment. Overall, coincidences are something important for him, and there were many of them in connection with the research. Be it the neighbor who signed the arrest warrant for Pinochet at the time, or the taxi driver who gave him clues.
As far as the arrest warrant against Pinochet is concerned, the total new territory and a precedent was of immense importance, Sands discussed. The message at the time was that if one commits crimes under international law, one is also exposed to the risk abroad that courts pursue these crimes. Even today there are very complex questions about these judicial responsibilities or an absolute immunity of heads of state.
Raupf, in turn, was hired by the BND after his escape in Chile, said Sands. Similar to Pinochet later, an arrest warrant for mass murder and crimes against humanity occurred in the 1960s. However, a limitation period in Chile had reached against this arrest warrant, “so that was over,” said Sands. When Pinochet became a dictator in 1973, Rauff wrote to friends in Germany: “I am now listed.”
In the research on Rauff, Sands was based on testimony because there were no more archive stocks or documents. Sands, for example, described an example of a witness who had tortured himself and, through his statements with a “deal” with the law enforcement agencies, became a “witness to the state”. For the first time, one has clear evidence that a high -ranking Nazi was involved in both Nazi crimes and in crimes in South America, said Sands. First it was the gas ravages, later – in Chile – then cooling cars to make people disappear. One and the same person took advantage of the same funds.
Writing in a team
The writing of a book only works for him in a team, and Sands also discussed from his writer’s practice. So he worked with a PHD student for a “second look”. For example, it was also concerned with confirmation of one’s own perceptions, for example in conversation with witnesses. He started with the book about ten years ago. He writes about the topics that fascinate him, and not full -time, especially since he is a university professor, says Sands. The slow work is the nice thing about it. If it had been faster, in his view, nuances and other aspects in the book were missing. (Conclusion) mbu
Note: The event was transferred via Livestream and is in the Parliament media library available. Photos From the event as well as a Reference to past events Find im Parliament web portal.