Judgement at Nuremburg

In the movie Judgment at Nuremburg, German judges were put on trial for their participation in committing human rights abuses in World War II. First I want to point out that as judges, they were political figures and held positions of power. With this power they choose to do injustices and work compliantly with the Nazi regime. They were not just “citizens,” they were part of the government. Citizens should be responsible to the extent that they participated or contributed to the human rights abuses committed by their government. In the movie, the presiding judge said that accessories to a murder are still responsible for their participation in the act. If you help a criminal you are one. This sets an important president for citizens all over the world—that the government is not the only responsible parties. Humans are responsible for upholding human rights before their own laws and pressures. It is important that justice is served and no impunity given to any contributor.

My opinion may seem harsh, but I find it morally imperative to make it. To be silent while human rights abuses are taking place before your eyes, like many Germans were, is not right. It is not right to sacrifice innocent minority populations to save the whole. It is not right to commit heinous acts to an innocent human being because of pressure from the government. Granted we can do crazy things in times of crisis out of survival—these excuses do not justify human rights abuses. It is still 100% wrong. In the movie it was said, “Just because it is logical doesn’t make it right.” Citizens must be held responsible to the extent that they participated either by omission, or in contributing to the human rights abuses like the judges in the movie. This movie demonstrated the difficulty in deciding such a judgment. It also opened my eyes to the impact decisions in international tribunals have on international relations.