Twenty-four senior Nazi officials were tried in Nuremberg, Germany, on charges of atrocities committed during World War II, which began on November 20, 1945.
(In this archival photo, the defendants hear part of their sentences at the Palace of Justice during the Nuremberg war crimes trial in Nuremberg, Germany, on September 30, 1946.) ）
The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by international tribunals from the United States, which were composed of representatives from the Soviet Union, France and Britain. This is the first such trial in history, and the accused face charges ranging from crimes against peace and war crimes to crimes against humanity.
(In the File Photo of November 21, 1945, Reichsmarshal Herman Goering stands in the prisoner's seat.) He entered the plea of innocence. Goering is wearing a court translation headset system. ）
British member Justice Jeffrey Lawrence presided over the proceedings, which lasted 10 months and included 216 court sessions. On October 1, 1946, 12 architects of Nazi policy were sentenced to death. Seven others were sentenced to 10 years to life imprisonment and 3 were acquitted.
(Hermann Goering (1893-1946) poses for a group photo on March 16, 1946 at the witness stand at the Nuremberg war crimes trial, where he was later sentenced to death.) ）
Of the initial 24 defendants, Robert Ley committed suicide in prison, while another, Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, were found mentally and physically incapable of standing trial.
Sentenced to death by hanging were Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop; Hermann Goering, leader of the Gestapo and Luftwaffe; Alfred Jodl, chief of staff of the German Armed Forces; and Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick.
On October 16, 1946, 10 architects of Nazi policy were hanged. Goering, who was called "the main war aggressor and creator of the plan to oppress the Jews" at the time of sentencing, committed suicide by poisoning the eve of the scheduled execution.
(Photograph of Karl Brand, Hitler's personal physician, at the Nuremberg Trials in 1947)
Nazi Party leader Martin Baumann was sentenced to death in absentia (but is now believed to have died in May 1945). The trials of lighter German and Axis war criminals continued into the 1950s, resulting in the conviction of 5,025 other defendants and the execution of 806 others.
Nuremberg's legacy continues to this day at the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, which since 2002 is the world's only permanent, independent court to hear violations such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
(Document of 30 September 1946 – Justice at the International Military Tribunal)