Nearly half a million names of suspected Nazi collaborators from World War II were publicly released today by a Dutch initiative called “War in Court” after the expiration of a long-standing law restricting access to the records.

The archive, encompassing 32 million pages, details investigations into approximately 425,000 individuals – primarily Dutch citizens – suspected of collaborating with German occupiers during the war. The law that had previously limited public access expired on New Year’s Day, paving the way for the project’s release.

While the list includes the names of those investigated, only about 20% of the individuals ever faced trial. Most cases involved minor offenses, such as membership in the National Socialist Movement (NSB), the Dutch fascist party that aligned with Nazi Germany.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which safeguards personal data, does not extend protections to deceased individuals – representing the overwhelming majority of those named in the archive.

Initially, the project planned to make scanned files and dossiers available online, allowing users to access detailed records on suspects, as well as information about victims and witnesses. However, the Dutch Data Protection Authority issued a warning, leading to the postponement of the full release.

Instead, the project has opted to publish only the names for now. A date for the release of the full dossiers has not been determined, but researchers, journalists, descendants, and other interested parties can request to view the documents in person at the Dutch National Archives in The Hague.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)