Nuremberg principles
War crime standards
The Nuremberg principles are a set of guidelines for determining what constitutes a war crime, established following the trials of Nazi leaders after World War II.
They hold that individuals bear responsibility for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, even when acting under government orders or superior command.
The defense argued that following orders was no excuse under the Nuremberg principles.
These principles became foundational to international criminal law and later tribunals.
- World War IISecond global military conflict
- HolocaustNazi genocide of Jews
- never againPermanent refusal to repeat
- international lawRules governing relations between countries
- criminal accountabilityLiability for lawbreaking
justice · moral responsibility · war crimes · Tokyo Trials · complicity · human rights law · legal precedent · obedience · Geneva Conventions · Nazi regime · crimes against humanity · war crimes trials · accountability · individual responsibility · superior orders · tribunal · military tribunals · prosecution
- international lawinternational law, treaty, treaties, conventions, protocols
- occupied Germanymilitary government, US Army, Soviet occupation, denazification, Berlin Airlift
Nuremberg principlessovereign immunity
State's protection from lawsuits
Nuremberg principlesimpunity
Freedom from consequences
blanket amnesty · victor's justice · amnesty laws · realpolitik · turning a blind eye
Nuremberg principlesblind obedience
Compliance without critical thought
Nuremberg, principle, principles, principled, unprincipled, principal