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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Germany halts investigation of Minnesota ex-carpenter accused of war crimes

From Wire Reports

BERLIN – German prosecutors have shelved their Nazi war crimes investigation of a retired Minnesota carpenter whom the Associated Press exposed as a former commander in an SS-led unit, saying Friday that the 96-year-old is not fit for trial.

The decision came more than two years after the AP published a story establishing that Michael Karkoc commanded a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion accused of burning villages filled with women and children, based on wartime documents, testimony from other members of the unit and Karkoc’s own Ukrainian-language memoir.

In Germany, Munich prosecutor Peter Preuss told the AP that Karkoc’s attorney had declined to allow him to be examined by a medical expert from Germany, and that his office’s decision was based on “comprehensive medical documentation” from doctors at the geriatric hospital in the U.S. where he is being treated.

Britain grants visa to Chinese artist

LONDON – Britain performed an about-face Friday and granted a six-month visa to dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, apologizing for rejecting his application over an alleged criminal conviction.

On Thursday Ai disclosed that the British Embassy in Beijing had turned down his request for a business visa, saying he had failed to disclose a criminal conviction. Instead it gave him a visa covering 20 days in September, when a major exhibition of Ai’s work is opening at London’s Royal Academy.

Ai, who often uses his work to draw attention to corruption and injustices in Chinese society, was jailed for almost three months in 2011 amid a wider crackdown on dissent in China. His company was later accused of tax evasion and ordered to pay $2.4 million. Ai’s lawyer said that was not a criminal case.

Britain’s Home Office said Friday that Home Secretary Theresa May had looked into the case and told officials to grant the six-month visa.