Former SS prison guard Michael Seifert was extradited last week from Canada to Rome, where he will serve the remainder of his life in custody following his conviction for World War II-era murder. Seifert was convicted in absentia eight years ago by an Italian military tribunal for his role in killing and torturing people during his time as a guard at a prison camp in Bolzano. He was arrested in 2002 at the request of the Italian government, and his attempts to prevent his extradition finally failed this year.
Seifert's extradition has been welcomed by groups campaigning for Nazi war criminals to be brought to justice.
Avi Benlolo, of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies in Canada, said it was critical that Seifert faced justice in Italy.
"It sets an example for other war criminals, not only Nazi war criminals, but war criminals related to Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur or any other genocide," he said.
Once again, this is one of the good signs of our times, much like the trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders and the prosecution of former South American government officials involved in operation Condor. Every time we do this, we reaffirm that there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.