Nazi Butcher of Latvia who Killed 1000s of People: Viktors Arājs

Viktors Arājs was a central figure in the Holocaust in Latvia and one of the most notorious local collaborators with Nazi Germany during World War II. Born in 1910 in Baldone, he came from modest beginnings and later studied law at the University of Latvia in Riga. With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Latvia fell under Nazi control, and Arājs quickly seized the opportunity to align himself with the occupiers. Under the supervision of SS commander Franz Stahlecker, Arājs established the Arājs Kommando, a paramilitary unit composed mainly of radical nationalists, former military men, and students. This group became infamous for its brutal participation in mass executions, including the destruction of synagogues in Riga, where Jews—many of them women and children—were locked inside and burned alive. The Arājs Kommando played a major role in early pogroms and mass shootings across Latvia and was directly involved in the murder of thousands of Jews and political prisoners. One of the most horrific events was the Rumbula massacre in late 1941, in which around 25,000 Jews from the Riga Ghetto were marched to the Rumbula Forest and executed. Arājs and his men were key in organizing the deportations, guarding the victims, and overseeing the looting of valuables. He was later involved in anti-partisan operations in Belarus, where atrocities against civilians, including rape and torture, continued. After the war, Arājs managed to evade justice for decades, living under an assumed identity in West Germany. It wasn’t until 1975 that he was arrested and tried in Frankfurt. Following one of the longest trials in German postwar history, Arājs was convicted in 1979 for his role in the murder of 13,000 people and sentenced to life in prison. He died in custody in 1988. The legacy of Viktors Arājs is a stark reminder of how local collaborators amplified the machinery of Nazi extermination. His case illustrates the devastating impact of ideology-driven violence and the long road toward justice for crimes of such magnitude. Join World History channel and get access to benefits:    / @worldhistoryvideos   Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:    / @worldhistoryvideos   #ViktorsArājs #WWII #ww2 #rise #viktorsarajs #nazi #kommando #einsatzgruppe #history #holocaust #documentary #jewish #persecution #europe #warcrime #warcriminals #latvia #latvian #riga #rigalatvia #ww2stories #holocaustdocumentary #holocausteducation #holocaustremembrance #secondworldwar Viktors Arājs biography, Viktors Arājs Kommando, Einsatzgruppe A Latvia, Holocaust in Riga Latvia, Latvian collaborators in World War II, Nazi occupation of the Baltic states, Franz Walter Stahlecker Einsatzgruppen, Arājs death squad history, Latvian SS units in WWII, Riga ghetto massacre, Nazi collaborators explained, Nazi occupation of Latvia, German war crimes, Nazi war crimes, WW2 war crimes, War trials, Nazi criminals, War criminals, War criminals WW2, Rumbula massacre, Liepāja massacres, Nazi war criminals,