Nuremberg Trials
After the war, in the years of 1945 and 1946, the first Nuremberg trial began. A handful of Nazi perpetrators responsible for committing crimes during the Holocaust, were brought to trial in Nuremberg, Germany which had been the site of annual Nazi propaganda rallies during Hitler's rule. Judges for the Allied countries of Great Britain, the United State, France and the Soviet Union officiated the hearings of a mere twenty-two Nazi criminals. Of these twenty-two Nazi criminals, only twelve were sentenced to death for crimes committed during the Holocaust, one of which was Hermann Goering. The death sentences were carried out on October 16, 1946 with the exception of Goering as he committed suicide shortly before his scheduled execution date. Three defendants of the Nuremberg trials were sentenced to life in prison, including Rudolf Hess. Individuals of which were directly involved in the killing received the most harsh punishment where as others whom held positions of the highest authority and played major roles in the Holocaust received little to no punishment at all. Most other defendants admitted to the crimes of which they were being tried but blamed their actions on the need to follow orders of higher authority than oneself. The leader of the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, was not tried as he had committed suicide at the very end of the war along with some of his closest associates, Heinrich Himmler and Josef Goebbels. Numerous other Nazi criminals were never tried as they too took their lives, fled to other countries or were never sought out. Trials of Nazi criminals continue to take place in numerous countries today but many Nazi criminals remain in hiding, have changed their names and may be forever disappeared. Although the legal justifications for the Nuremberg trials were at that time controversial, the trials were considered a forward movement of the establishment of international law and are now seen as an important precedent for dealing with genocide and other crimes against humanity in later years.
Source: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007722 |
The Eichmann Trial
In 1961, the District Court of Jerusalem tried Adolf Eichmann, a key person in the implementation of the "final solution" of the Jews, on the count of fifteen separate crimes. These crimes included crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and membership in a hostile organization. The trial of Adolf Eichmann is the only trial of which deal directly and comprehensively with the "final solution." The trial of Eichmann lasted eight months when he was found to be guilty of all counts and was sentenced to death by hanging on June 1, 1962. This trial renewed official interest in the pursuit and investigation of Nazi war criminals of whom were still at large.
Source: http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/search-the-collections/bibliography/eichmann-trial |