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Individuals should absolutely be held personally responsible for their actions during wartime. Soldiers and other members of the armed services are in the armed services to protect and serve the people of their country; the brave people in the armed services are there to ensure the safety of their citizens. These men and women are not, however, there to commit any crimes against civilians; violent or not. During the Nazi rule over Germany during World War II, heinous and brutal crimes were committed against people that were deemed as unworthy or impure Germans (both German citizens and citizens of many other countries). Basic human rights were seriously violated; innocent people were savagely and senselessly murdered, brutalized, tortured, robbed, enslaved in camps, starved, used as guinea pigs in medical experiments, and held against their will in concentration camps (where most of these heinous acts against the human race took place). It is estimated that no less than 12 million people were murdered by the Nazi government; and probably more.
The victims of the Nazi government were lied to; and their right to know what the government knows was blatantly ignored. Soldiers shouldnt be exempt of criminal punishment simply because they wear a uniform. The badge they wear doesnt make them any more or less deserving of their rights than any other law-abiding citizen, so why is it that they are even being considered for immunity of indictment for horrible crimes? Some argue that these soldiers acted under the command of their superiors; and that they would be risking their career and their lives in refusing to commit crimes against people. However, before you have any obligation to the government; you have a moral obligation and a duty to your people to refuse to commit a crime against someone.
Suppose your commanding officer told you to shoot your best friend. Would you do it, justifying it as an act out of loyalty to your country and the government? Some people would, we are not all exactly virtuous; but what would you do if this same commanding officer ordered you to then commit suicide? Would you still consider it to be your obligation to the government? The fact is that whether or not the Nazis were ordered to commit crimes of war just doesnt matter.
Its just a clumsily disguised excuse for war criminals to use so they can get away with their crimes. Their victims were still victims (no matter what the circumstances) of crimes and both the victims and the families of the victims of the Holocaust deserve justice and closure, which is something they were never shown under Nazi rule. Violent crimes can not be condoned, whatever the duress. Out of the few Nazi officials and soldiers that actually had their day in court during the Nuremberg Trials, not many were convicted.
There were a total of eleven trials; and charges for the defendants included: conducting inhuman experiments on German civilians and nationals of other countries murder and cruel treatment of POWs, and with participation in experiments dealing with the effects of high altitude and freezing using their power as prosecutors and judges to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity war crimes against POWs in concentration camps using slave labor and POWs, deporting persons for labor in German-occupied territories, and plundering private property -- the "Aryanization" of Jewish properties plunder and spoliation of private property in German-occupied territories committing acts of devastation in Norway and other countries, drafting orders, denying POWs rights, and ordering the slaughter of surrendered troops murder and ill-treatment of POWs and civilians in occupied countries, and with wanton destruction not justified by military necessity plunder of public and private property enslavement waging wars of aggression and violating international treaties Overall, there were only 178 Nazis charged and of that 178 a total of 79 perpetrators were convicted. There was one mistrial; and three defendants died prior to their court date (two committed suicide). 16 perpetrators were acquitted, 25 were sentenced to life in prison, 49 received jail time, and 24 were originally given a death sentence (10 years after their conviction, 14 Nazis sentences were reduced to life in prison, making the number serving a life sentence actually 49). War crimes were (in the past years proceeding WWII) and are still a big problem today in many countries such as Sudan, Iraq, Rwanda, Russia, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Japan, Israel, and many more. War crimes cause destruction and the perpetrators of such crime reduce the honor and integrity of the armed services. These crimes also cause severe emotional, physical, and psychological pain for the victims as it involves a betrayal of trust, safety, and result a loss of faith in the country and its government. War criminals, in our opinion, should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, like any other criminal, because they have lowered themselves to a criminal level and committed a treason more serious than a disloyalty to their country; but betraying the very people they are supposed to be fighting for in the first place.
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Research essay sample on Life In Prison Occupied Territories
