Should we Continue to Prosecute Nazi War Criminals?

[God Kefka]

i think following orders from the government is a pretty good defense...

Do you define international law?

it's mostly a form of victor's justice...

[United Marxist Nations]

if he was so important than why wasn't he indicted at Nuremburg?

At any rate I'm sure he was just following orders...

Probably because he fled before he could be captured.

He did; I think they found him in Argentina working as a school teacher in the '60's, but I might have the teacher part confused with someone else.

[Wisconsin9]

Do you define international law?

it's mostly a form of victor's justice...

Do you or do you not determine matters of international law?

[Ghant]

What about the crimes that the red army committed? Where is the closure for Poland after getting fucked over by its allies? The rest of eastern Europe? Where's their closure?

The rapes did not happen. It is neo-nazi propaganda made up by a bunch of lying whores.

Wrong. It did happen, and there is ample evidence of it. To dismiss it as "neo-nazi propaganda" promulgated by "lying whores" is mind-numbingly absurd.

[Ifreann]

How many times do you need to be told that prosecuting Nazi war criminals does not preclude prosecuting other war criminals, or other criminals of any kind, or any other government action of any kind, before it sinks in?

it doesn't work like that in the real world... we have very limited resources for these things.

Not so limited that prosecuting one war criminals means letting another go. And we can always get more money for war crimes tribunals.

Got to mobilize them for the more recent crimes...

No, we don't.

we've already given the Jews some satisfaction with Nuremberg. Now let the rest go.

It has nothing to do with giving the Jews anything.

[Islamic Republic e Jariri]

So let's say, hypothetically, that it turns out Hitler fled, and pops up tomorrow. Do we let him go too?

Obviously not.

Ummm...I very much doubt Hitler is alive, even if he did escape to Argentina there's no way he would be alive by this point, wouldn't that make him over 120 years old? If he did for some reason pop up now....we would become the monster he was by imprisoning or executing him.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Probably because he fled before he could be captured.

He did; I think they found him in Argentina working as a school teacher in the '60's, but I might have the teacher part confused with someone else.

Way I heard it was he was in Argentina (maybe another SA country?) and his son was still using his name and attending college. Met an Israeli girl who recognized the name, and badda-bing-badda-boom courthouse in Tel Aviv.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eich ... _Argentina

[United Marxist Nations]

Because he ran away. "Just following orders" is not a valid defense, especially when you designed the process.

i think following orders from the government is a pretty good defense...

Then you're wrong; disobeying orders and fragging officers is an option. Not to mention that Eichmann was the one who pitched the whole death camp thing.

[God Kefka]

it's mostly a form of victor's justice...

Do you or do you not determine matters of international law?

it's always been a form of victor's justice and hence why one should not place much stock in it as moral principle... none of the Allies were prosecuted for example.

[God Kefka]

He did; I think they found him in Argentina working as a school teacher in the '60's, but I might have the teacher part confused with someone else.

Way I heard it was he was in Argentina (maybe another SA country?) and his son was still using his name and attending college. Met an Israeli girl who recognized the name, and badda-bing-badda-boom courthouse in Tel Aviv.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eich ... _Argentina

he served under Hitler...

[Wisconsin9]

Obviously not.

Ummm...I very much doubt Hitler is alive, even if he did escape to Argentina there's no way he would be alive by this point, wouldn't that make him over 120 years old? If he did for some reason pop up now....we would become the monster he was by imprisoning or executing him.

I said hypothetical for a reason. And how does executing even a few hundred people for almost literally countless war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other assorted violations of international law come anywhere close to those actions?

[Sevvania]

yeah.... like how come we don't go after them for what they do to the Palestinians the Middle Easterners?

Why do we overfixate so much on WWII we're going after NINETY YEAR OLD people for crimes over 60 years ago when there are more modern and recent crimes gone unpunished. Oh they are allies of the West that's why...

Hmmm. Looks like some countries (in real life) can't just move on from that.

People can't move on from the biggest conflict in human history that took place less than a hundred years ago and involved the mass murder of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, so on and so forth? People just need to let go. If you do something bad, you should be punished, but if you do something bad and then manage to not get caught until you're elderly, you should be allowed to get away with it. We should focus on current war crimes and punish those instead, because it's a really quick process and it's not it's taken us several decades to try and bring all the war criminals from the previous massive conflict to justice.

That's the message I'm getting from too many posts in this thread.

i think following orders from the government is a pretty good defense...

The average German infantryman was just following orders. That's why they're usually not tried for war crimes. There's nothing wrong with fighting for your country, against other soldiers, in times of war. If the government tells you to run a death camp for civilians, and you follow through with it because you're just "following orders," your actions are not justified because you did horrible things to innocent people and didn't do anything about it.

[United Marxist Nations]

Do you or do you not determine matters of international law?

it's always been a form of victor's justice and hence why one should not place much stock in it as moral principle... none of the Allies were prosecuted for example.

Actually, the USSR prosecuted several of its war criminals; I'd cite, but I'm on phone.

[Ifreann]

Because he ran away. "Just following orders" is not a valid defense, especially when you designed the process.

i think following orders from the government is a pretty good defense...

Which is a matter than can be dealt with in the course of the trial.

[Wisconsin9]

Do you or do you not determine matters of international law?

it's always been a form of victor's justice and hence why one should not place much stock in it as moral principle... none of the Allies were prosecuted for example.

Are you going to answer my question or not?

[United Marxist Nations]

Way I heard it was he was in Argentina (maybe another SA country?) and his son was still using his name and attending college. Met an Israeli girl who recognized the name, and badda-bing-badda-boom courthouse in Tel Aviv.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eich ... _Argentina

he served under Hitler...

As the guy who organized the Holocaust. I find your Nazi apologism very disturbing.

[Ifreann]

he served under Hitler...

As the guy who organized the Holocaust. I find your Nazi apologism very disturbing.

Mission accomplished, no doubt.

[God Kefka]

i think following orders from the government is a pretty good defense...

Which is a matter than can be dealt with in the course of the trial.

the trial itself... against 90 year old people following orders 69 years ago would itself be a breach of human rights in my view...

[United Marxist Nations]

Which is a matter than can be dealt with in the course of the trial.

the trial itself... against 90 year old people following orders 69 years ago would itself be a breach of human rights in my view...

There is no statute of limitations. Do you forget the heinous ness of the deed?

[God Kefka]

he served under Hitler...

As the guy who organized the Holocaust. I find your Nazi apologism very disturbing.

I'm not saying it was necessarily ok but holding people responsible for serving their country and following orders?

[Wisconsin9]

Which is a matter than can be dealt with in the course of the trial.

the trial itself... against 90 year old people following orders 69 years ago would itself be a breach of human rights in my view...

And I once again have to ask if you have any actual influence on international law, in this case specifically regarding human rights.

[United Marxist Nations]

As the guy who organized the Holocaust. I find your Nazi apologism very disturbing.

I'm not saying it was ok but holding people responsible for serving their country and following orders?

You defended Adolf Eichmann! That's like defending Heinrich Himmler!

[Lamplight Caverns]

Doing the wonderful research known as typing his name in to google, I think that, in this particular instance, the old man needs to stop being harassed. He wasn't in the station to do or orchestrate the killings. Being a guard is a whole lot different than being Mengele, or one of the guys that helped in the decision to use gas.

It's not justice, it is harassment.

Now, if this Jakiw fellow was indeed a higher up who orchestrated the grand scheme of the gassing and killing, then yes, I'd say absolutely prosecute him.

[Wisconsin9]

As the guy who organized the Holocaust. I find your Nazi apologism very disturbing.

I'm not saying it was ok but holding people responsible for serving their country and following orders?

There's a decision as to whether or not you're going to follow those orders. You pull the trigger, that's a choice.

[God Kefka]

the trial itself... against 90 year old people following orders 69 years ago would itself be a breach of human rights in my view...

And I once again have to ask if you have any actual influence on international law, in this case specifically regarding human rights.

Strictly speaking, yes.

if I consider it illegitimate than it detracts from its legitimacy of international law. See international law is on very fragile grounds...