Cuts in War Crimes Charges for Barbie Attacked by Veterans

Veterans of the World War II French Resistance on Friday challenged a judge’s decision to reduce war crime charges against Klaus Barbie, the Nazi “Butcher of Lyons.”

Appeals filed with the preliminary court of investigation of this southeastern city challenge the decision to charge Barbie for crimes against Jews in France but not for those against members of the French Resistance.

Investigating magistrate Christian Riss, after a 30-month inquiry into Barbie’s role as Gestapo chief of Lyons from 1942 to 1944, said last month the defendant would face trial for the arrest, torture, deportation and deaths of more than 400 Jews in the city.

Riss said Barbie’s crimes involving Jews fell into the category of “crimes against humanity,” for which there is no immunity. But he said Barbie could no longer be prosecuted for war crimes against Resistance fighters, covered by a 10-year statute of limitations in France.

Challenging the decision, lawyers for hundreds of Resistance fighters said the nature of Barbie’s Nazi ideology meant all his war crimes were against humanity.