. NMT03-T1115
Volume III · Page 1115
| Upon inquiry as to what the defendant meant by the "correction of sentences," he answered: |
"By correcting of a sentence we mean that when the court had pronounced a sentence, for example, had condemned somebody to be imprisoned for a term of 5 years — if the police now, after these 5 years had been served, if the police arrested this man and put him into a concentration camp — this is only an example of a correction. Or even if, and this is clearer, it happened that a person was acquitted by a court, and in spite of that the police put this man into a concentration camp. These are examples of correction of sentences." |
| The defendant stated that he did not observe and could not discover any abuse at Mauthausen. In this connection the testimony of defense witness Hartmann is of interest. Hartmann accompanied Dr. Rothenberger on his visit to Mauthausen concentration camp. He testified that rumors were current in Germany to the effect that conditions were not what they should be in the concentration camps. Hartmann testifies that they went about the camp freely and observed everything closely. On cross-examination by the Tribunal, Hartmann testified as follows:* |
"Q. * * * When you visited Mauthausen concentration camp, you knew, did you not, that the courts in the Ministry of Justice never sentenced convicted criminals to a concentration camp? * * * |
| The witness Hartmann testified further: |
"Q. And they had already served their sentences as imposed by court before they were taken into this custody of the police, is that right? " |
* Complete testimony of defense witness Hans Hartmann is recorded in the III mimeographed transcript, 17 September 1947, pages 8999-9068.
