45

Jean M. was arrested in Luxembourg in September 1942 because of his sexual orientation. Sexual intercourse between homosexuals had been forbidden since 1941. In October 1942 he was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment in Trier. He was sent to Wittlich prison, where he remained until July 1943. M. was then sent to Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp in Alsace (F), where he was registered as a homosexual and had to wear the pink triangle as a special mark. He was assigned to the camp’s penal unit for work in the quarry and was severely maltreated. He survived and was later deported to the Wolgast labour camp in Karlshagen, a subcamp of Ravensbrück concentration camp. On 1 May 1945 he was to be transferred to Rostock but on the way there he was liberated by the Red Army. In fear of further discrimination after his liberation, he made false statements in Luxembourg after the war, claiming that he had been arrested for desertion and for assisting in border crossings.