article_snippet.sent: If nothing else comes from a trial, that statement alone justifies the undertaking.
article_snippet.sent: Of course, in acknowledging his moral complicity, Gröning fell short of confessing legal guilt.
article_snippet.sent: Indeed, for years his has insisted in his innocence as a matter of law, arguing, in an interview with Der Spiegel in 2005, that his had been no more than a "cog in the gears.
article_snippet.sent: In performing this task, Gröning insists that Gröning never engaged in cruel, murderous or sadistic acts -- a claim that we can probably accept as true.
article_snippet.sent: But does this relieve Gröning of criminal liability?
article_snippet.sent: By this standard, Gröning's truthful claim that he was no more than "a cog" constitutes an admission of guilt.
article_snippet.sent: This does not mean that Gröning deserves the same measure of punishment as an SS sadist.
article_snippet.sent: In fact, it's not clear that he deserves any punishment besides the symbolic gesture of conviction.
article_snippet.sent: The significance of Gröning's trial can be measured in one final way.