The trial of the century
The judges ultimately consider 19 of the 22 defendants guilty of one or more charges. The three remaining defendants would eventually be acquitted, but not before the Soviets have expressed their disagreement with these sentences. Perpetrators, 12 were sentenced to death by hanging, three to life imprisonment and four to prison terms ranged from ten to twenty years in prison.
After the case, the Americans thought, also in Nuremberg (1945-1949), plus 199 individuals accused of criminal activities. Of these, 38 were acquitted, 36 sentenced to death? of which 18 were executed? 23 to life imprisonment and the remaining 102 smaller feathers. In fact, taking into account all other cases tried by the Americans, few prisoners who cumpriran more than seven years in prison.
The sentence
The sessions were initiated on 20 November 1945 with the declaration of innocence made by each and every one of the accused. The Court has, from then until the 31st of August 1946, to meet five days a week, except for a short holiday Christmas. In total, the panel was assembled for 261 days.
The prosecution called 33 people to testify and presented many documents that proved the guilt of the defendants, as well as numerous films and photographs.
The defense, in turn, appealed to 61 verbal testimony and written statements of more than 143 witnesses.
The deliberations of the jurors continued until 1 October 1946, requiring an arduous effort inherent in the detailed review of facts and evidence and applicable law in what was the first international criminal trial in history.
The other Nurembergas
In Germany under American occupation were created several de-Nazification courts, which are four types of Nazi thought: major offenders, offenders, minor offenders and fewer supporters of the Nazi regime. For they passed numerous individuals who, for whatever reason, have been linked to institutions of the Third Reich.
The executions of the condemned were in charge of Sergeant John C. Wood, San Antonio, Texas, a professional executioner who until then had executed 229 people.
On 16 October 1946, at 1 hour and 13 minutes in the morning, Ribbentrop, the first to be hanged, climbed the stairs that led to the scaffold erected in the prison gym. In a short time followed him Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Jodl, and Seyss-Inquart Sauckel.
Hermann Goering was the only escape from the executioner, committing suicide if two hours before being strangled with a cyanide capsule that someone was delivered to the cell.
To prevent any manifestation of nostalgic nature, the bodies of the Nazi leaders were cremated in the only existing crematorium at Dachau, outside Munich, and his ashes scattered on the river Isar.
