Paris, Sept 18: A French appeals court today ruled that 92-year-old Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon be freed from prison on the grounds of poor health, his lawyers said. Under the terms of his release, expected at the end of the day, Papon must remain at home and seek court authorisation to travel, lawyer Jean-Marc Varaut said, but insisted: "it is not right to call it house arrest."
France's only surviving convict from world war ii, Papon is serving a 10-year term in a Paris jail after being found guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity for his role in the deportation of more than 1,500 Jews from the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
His lawyers had argued that Papon needed to be released urgently because his health deteriorated so badly, with doctors saying he was suffering from chronic malfunction of the heart, circulatory system and kidneys.
The state prosecutor opposed Papon's release, arguing that the crimes of which he was convicted in 1998 were of an "exceptional seriousness" and could "incite disturbances to public order," if he were set free.
Last year, President Jacques Chirac refused to grant C Clemency to Papon, despite appeals from a number of eminent public figures. Jewish groups oppose his release because they say he has showed no remorse for his a actions.
"This is a great victory," said another Papon lawyer, Francis Vuillemin. Bureau Report