London Charter of the International Military Tribunal 706956 218346321 2008-06-10T06:20:11Z Cydebot 1215485 Robot - Moving category World War II politics to Politics of World War II per [[WP:CFD|CFD]] at [[Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion/Log/2008_May_25]]. The '''London Charter of the International Military Tribunal''' (usually referred to simply as the '''London Charter''' or '''Nuremberg Charter''') was the decree issued on [[August 8]], [[1945]], that set down the laws and procedures by which the [[Nuremberg trials]] were to be conducted. {{wikisource}} The charter stipulated that crimes of the European [[Axis powers of World War II| Axis Powers]] could be tried. Three categories of crimes were defined: [[war crime]]s, [[crimes against peace]], and [[crimes against humanity]]. The charter also stated that holding an official position was no defense to war crimes. [[Nuremberg Defense|Obedience to orders]] could only be considered in mitigation of punishment if the Tribunal determined that justice so required. The [[criminal procedure]] used by the Tribunal was closer to [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] than to [[common law]], with a trial before a panel of judges rather than a [[jury trial]] and with wide allowance for [[hearsay]] evidence. Defendants who were found guilty could [[appeal]] the verdict to the [[Allied Control Council]]. In addition, they would be permitted to present evidence in their defense and to [[cross-examination|cross-examine]] witnesses. The Charter was developed under the authority of the [[Moscow Declaration#Statement on Atrocities|Moscow Declaration: Statement on Atrocities]], which was agreed at the [[Moscow Conference (1943)]]. It was drawn up in London, following the surrender of Germany on [[VE Day]]. It was drafted by [[Robert H. Jackson]], [[Robert Falco]], and [[Iona Nikitchenko]] of the [[European Advisory Commission]], and issued on [[August 8]] [[1945]]{{Fact|date=March 2008}}. The Charter and its definition of crimes against peace was also the basis of the [[Finland|Finnish]] law, approved by the [[Parliament of Finland|Finnish parliament]] on [[11 September]] [[1945]], that enabled the [[war-responsibility trials in Finland]]. ==See also== *[[Cases before the International Criminal Court]] *[[Carl Schmitt]] *[[Command responsibility]] *[[Crime against humanity]] *[[Crime against peace]] *[[Crimina juris gentium]] *[[Geneva Conventions]] *[[Genocide]] *[[International humanitarian law]] *[[International Law]] *[[Jus ad bellum]] *[[Jus in bello]] *[[List of war crimes]] *[[Nuremberg Principles]] *[[Peace Palace]] *[[War crimes]] *[[War Crimes Act of 1996]] ==External links== *Links to the International Conference on Military Trials : London, 1945. These documents helps to shows how the Charter reached its final form: **[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/jackson/jack10.htm Aide-Mèmoire from the Soviet Government] [[June 14]], 1945 contained in the [[Avalon Project]] archive at [[Yale Law School]]. **[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/jackson/jack14.htm London, 1945 Amendments Proposed by the United Kingdom] [[June 28]], 1945. contained in the [[Avalon Project]] archive at [[Yale Law School]]. *[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/imtconst.htm Nuremberg Trial Proceedings Vol. 1 Charter of the International Military Tribunal] contained in the [[Avalon Project]] archive at [[Yale Law School]] * [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/judlawre.htm Judgement : The Law Relating to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity] contained in the [[Avalon Project]] archive at [[Yale Law School]], contains the stated expansion of customary law "''the Convention [[Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)#Hague Convention of 1907|Hague 1907]] expressly stated that it was an attempt 'to revise the general laws and customs of war,' which it thus recognised to be then existing, but by 1939 these rules laid down in the Convention were recognised by all civilised nations, and were regarded as being declaratory of the laws and customs of war which are referred to in Article 6 (b) of the Charter." <br> {{International Criminal Law}} [[Category:Hague Conventions|1899 and 1907]] [[Category:Human rights abuses]] [[Category:International law]] [[Category:International courts]] [[Category:International Criminal Court]] [[Category:Laws of war]] [[Category:War crimes]] [[Category:International criminal law]] [[Category:Politics of World War II]] [[Category:Nuremberg Trials]] [[Category:1945 in law]] [[Category:Crimes against humanity]] [[Category:Crime of aggression]] [[cs:Mezinárodní vojenský tribunál]] [[de:Londoner Statut]] [[es:Carta de Londres]] [[fr:Charte de Londres du Tribunal militaire international]] [[nl:Verdrag van Londen (1945)]] [[sh:Londonski sporazum o Međunarodnom vojnom tribunalu]] [[sr:Лондонски споразум о Међународном војном трибуналу]]