The Simon Wiesenthal Center has begun “Operation Last Chance II,” focused on finding and prosecuting remaining World War II Nazi war criminals who are still at large, the organization’s chief Nazi hunter, Efraim Zuroff, said at a news conference in Berlin. The new project offers financial rewards of up to $32,900 for information leading to the prosecution and punishment of Nazi war crime suspects. The current drive to reopen hundreds of dormant investigations became possible after a legal precedent was set by the successful conviction of a former camp guard, John Demjanjuk, 91, in May.

Mr. Demjanjuk was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to murder in 28,060 cases, the number of people who died during the time when he was a camp guard. The case was based on the theory that if Mr. Demjanjuk was working at a camp, his function as a guard automatically made him an accessory to the murders committed there. It was the first time prosecutors had made such a legal argument in German courts.

nytimes.com