Thursday, July 16, 2015
Jill Scott, professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Queen’s University, is the author of A Poetics of Forgiveness (Palgrave 2010), and researches the social dynamics of conflict and reconciliation. Dr. Scott is available to discuss yesterday's sentencing of Oskar Groening and what it might mean more broadly for how war crimes are handled within society.
"Oskar Groening has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in aiding the Jewish Holocaust, and many people laud the conviction of the 94-year-old German as a victory for justice and a means to educate younger generations about the Holocaust", she says. "But there may be more significant consequences for present and future conflicts and the military crimes that result from them. What this trial shows is that it is possible to try individuals on the basis of new interpretations of the law, and that there is no such thing as a "cog in the wheel.” Finally, this case further blurs the lines between moral and legal guilt, a question that has vexed Germans since the end of World War II."
Dr. Scott is available on Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17 for comment.
To arrange an interview, please contact communications officer Anne Craig at 613-533-2877 or anne.craig@queensu.ca at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.
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