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70th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Tribunal

11/20/2015

Statement of the International Association of Prosecutors on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg


This day marks 70 years since the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg commenced the proceedings against the “major war criminals of the European Axis” as the 1945 Charter of the Tribunal stated. The first session of the Tribunal began on 20 November 1945.

As a result of the coordinated work in the team of the prosecutors from the four allied powers, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and France, 24 Nazi high officials were indicted and eventually 18 officials were convicted under the Nuremberg Charter on 1 October 1946.

The Nuremberg Tribunal sets a unique milestone in history. It was the first time that leaders of a State were held accountable for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. “The Court of the Nations”, as the Nuremberg Tribunal was called, gave a strong condemnation of the Nazi regime, its institutions, officials and practices, and for many years determined the vector of the political and legal development. The work of the International Military Tribunal, and the then defined Nuremberg principles became an impetus for the development of the international humanitarian and criminal law, and lead the way to the creation of other mechanisms of international criminal justice.

The Nuremberg principles remain valid in our modern global world, where conflicts and animosities continue to exist and cause an impediment to ensuring peace and stability worldwide.

The International Association of Prosecutors supports Resolution 69/160 adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2014 “Combating glorification of nazism, neo-nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”. The resolution, inter alia, calls upon States to take, in accordance with international human rights standards, more efficient measures against manifestations of nazism and extremist movements that create a real threat to democratic values.

The International Association of Prosecutors encourages its members and other prosecutors of the world to take an active part in the organization and holding of national and international events dedicated to the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg.