Back to Home
World2026-05-17

Switzerland to open secret files on Auschwitz 'Angel of Death' Mengele

Mengele fled Europe after the war but for years there were rumours he spent time in Switzerland.

By BBC World

Switzerland to open secret files on Auschwitz 'Angel of Death' Mengele

The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service has announced it will finally open long-sealed files related to Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi war criminal known as the 'Angel of Death.' Mengele, who conducted sadistic medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz, successfully fled Europe after World War II using false Red Cross documents issued in Italy. For decades, historians have suspected that Mengele spent significant time in Switzerland while an international warrant was out for his arrest.

The decision to release the records follows years of pressure from researchers and Holocaust survivor organizations seeking to understand how high-ranking Nazis were able to evade justice for so long. The files are expected to provide new insights into the networks that assisted Mengele's escape to South America and the role of neutral Switzerland in the post-war period. While the specific release date has not been set, the announcement represents a major step toward historical transparency and accountability for one of the 20th century's darkest chapters.