Nuremberg modification of international crime and criminal responsibility of individuals

Vadym Popko

doi:10.36695/2219-5521.4.2020.75

Abstract

The article analyses the formation of the Nuremberg model of international crime, its origins and preconditions, the role of theVersailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and other factors. The author states that the inability to ignore the expansion of international crimemakes criminal responsibility unavoidable, and thus the experience of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals bear the fundamental meaning.Examined are the legal bases of the Nuremberg trial, the main problematic issues of discussion, in particular, the recognition ofcertain acts as criminal, procedural security of the accused, harmonisation of procedural rules of different legal systems (continental,Anglo-American, Soviet legal system), immunity of officials and especially the importance of the Nuremberg Trials for the furtherdevelopment of international criminal law. The author argues that individual international criminal responsibility, which should be consideredthe first most important feature of international criminal law, was formed during the Nuremberg Trials on the basis of customarylaw, general principles of law and normative sources: the London Agreement of 1945 “On Prosecution and Punishment of the majorwar criminals of the European Axis countries” and the Statute of the International Military Tribunal. The Nuremberg Trials of1945–1946 and the Tokyo Trials of 1946–1948 were the first effective international criminal tribunals in which individuals with fullprocedural rights and acting on their own behalf were indicted. The precedents of these tribunals have proven the ability to criminalisecrimes under international law that are not crimes under national law and serve as a basis for developing a concept of international crimein a new sense that is closely linked to international justice.The author also concludes by drawing the attention to the fact that due to internationalisation of crime, two different characte -ristics and dimensions have formed: criminal responsibility stricto sensu, and criminal responsibility within the frames of a newlyformed autonomous subbranch of international criminal law – transnational criminal law.

Highlights

The article analyses the formation of the Nuremberg model of international crime, its origins and preconditions, the role of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and other factors
The author states that the inability to ignore the expansion of international crime makes criminal responsibility unavoidable, and the experience of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals bear the fundamental meaning
The author argues that individual international criminal responsibility, which should be considered the first most important feature of international criminal law, was formed during the Nuremberg Trials on the basis of customary law, general principles of law and normative sources: the London Agreement of 1945 “On Prosecution and Punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries” and the Statute of the International Military Tribunal

Summary

Introduction

Міжнародне кримінальне право набуло самостійного характеру після Другої світової війни й приводом для цього послужило кримінальне покарання воєнних злочинців, а також осіб, що скоїли злочини проти миру й міжнародної безпеки шляхом розв’язання війни, за рішенням Нюрнберзького та Токійського трибуналів (1945–1946 р.). З огляду на зазначене слід визнати, що Лейпцизькі процеси з воєнних злочинів здійснили лише «опосередкований вплив на розвиток міжнародного кримінального права, оскільки юридичною підставою для здійснення цих процесів перед Верховним судом було німецьке кримінальне право»9.

Results

Conclusion