Coming just two decades after the last great global conflict, The Second World War was a conflict that involved virtually every part of the world between 1939 and 1945. The war in many aspects was a continuation of the previous World War’s grievances and disputes in its aftermath. And with this war becoming one of the largest and also the deadliest conflict in human history, many wanted not to repeat these same events again. Amongst the sentiment of the Anti-Nazi Allies was the idea that the most destructive war in human history should not just end like other wars that happened. This was not a war to be overcome, but a war to be punished because of its unprecedented crimes and atrocities. In the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials many of the Nazi-related …show more content…
As the only city to have unaffected buildings, the city of Nuremberg Palace of Justice was selected as the venue for the Military Tribunal. The purpose of a tribunal is that it is a military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime. This means that the court operated outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings because that was what was needed as determined be the never been used charges that it was also war victors that were the ones seeking justice. The court was set up so that the judges would consist of four members from the signatories with each country also having an alternate in case of illness or emergency. With the judges in place it was important to outline who the defendants were and were responsible for. Defendants whether Heads of States, Government Officials, or Minor Officers are not to be freed from responsibility even if they were following an order and that the organization that they were a member of will also become a criminal organization if the individual defendant is guilty of his crimes. The most important of the Military Tribunal Charter is articles 6, 14, 16, and 19 which highlights the charges and proceedings of the Trials. There will be a Chief Prosecutor who will investigate and oversee the charges brought up by the prosecution. Along with this the Chief Prosecutor will create and present the indictment which will start all trials. The indictment is what outlines which of the four charges, Crimes against the Peace, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes, and Conspiracy, that the defendant is guilty of and if there is enough evidence to bring them to said trial. Also, the most important article that I will explain later because of its abuse is 19 which states that the court will not be bound by traditional rules of evidence and that they will admit any