nurem1

The Nuremberg Trials

"You cannot do justice to the Dead."

A Little Justice; A Little Late

Justice is always a difficult topic. What is justice in the eyes of one man, is cruelty in the eyes of another. The Mother of the Murdered Child and the Mother of the Murderer rarely ask together for the same justice, or mercy. Justice in the Shoah was no less problematic; but in the case of the War Crimes of the Third Reich, Justice was more of an issue of how to remain civilized in the exacting of punishment upon a group of men and organizations who had committed atrocity after atrocity leading to massive genocide, not only of the Jewish People, but of the peoples of Europe who were vulnerable, different, or prisoners of belief.

A World Tribunal Amidst Ruins
Looking around Nuremberg at the end of the War, one could hardly imagine that a grand and historical trial would soon take place: one that would change international law forever, and hold accountable the men of this world without moral bounds. Nuremberg was in utter ruin: only a few buildings were left after the bombings and what was left was structurally unsound. The physical ruin was a mere metaphor for the condition of law and justice in Europe. As small efforts began at rebuilding Nuremberg, a great international effort began at rebuilding a concept of civilization in international law at Nuremberg.
There were criticisms at the outset about the nature of the tribunals. Legal theorists were concerned that the tribunals were being written, executed and tried by the Allied Nations, or victors in the war. The question of a fair hearing arose. But the precedent for the Nuremberg Trials was set by two agreements/ the LONDON AGREEMENT which set forth the authority to conduct the trials and three of the major counts, and Law #10-the Allied Control Agreement. Both points of authority were signed/ratified by the US, Great Britain, France and the USSR. Because of the aforementioned concerns, there were great strides made to conduct the trials in integrity. Impartiality, though became an enormous task as the extent and horror of eyewitness testimonies of atrocities and genocide, barbarism and slavery became known. Eyewitness and expert testimony was heard, documentation of the Axis powers gained by the Allies was entered into evidence and photographic and film evidence was used. Because the Nazis were obsessive record keepers, hoping to use the records in a future historical accolade to themselves, large amounts of evidence came forth. Many at the trial, particularly survivors wept as testimonies unfolded, many had to leave the proceedings as it became clear that the seemingly civilized men in the docking had been responsible for unimaginable cruelty and the destruction of European Jewry, the vulnerable and weak, elderly, and other racial and political prisoners.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION......
Nazi Doctors Charged with War Crimes (Doctors'Trials)

OUTSIDE LINKS

Avalon Project: Nuremberg Trial Proceedings Nuremberg Trials:Legal Considerations

Commentary:Law #10
Avalon Project: Nuremberg Trial Proceedings

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