United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The Power of Truth: 20 Years
Museum   Education   Research   History   Remembrance   Genocide   Support   Connect
Donate
Holocaust Encyclopedia

 

 

 

Life After the Holocaust: Thomas Buergenthal — Oral History

Thomas Buergenthal
Born: 1934, Lubochna, Czechoslovakia

Describes international tribunals [Interview: 2005]

Transcript:

The difference between Nuremberg and the ICC [International Criminal Court] of course, or the ICTY (the Yugoslav tribunal), is that the Nuremberg tribunal of course was a tribunal that consisted of judges drawn from the four victor countries and it was established by them, whereas these tribunals -- the Yugoslav tribunal and the Rwanda tribunal -- have been established by the Security Council. And the ICC has been established by treaty and the judges come from all parts of the world. That's progress, and in a sense it shows that it's not only one group of the international community but the entire international community which has an interest in these institutions and has a part in it.

The difference between Nuremberg and the ICC [International Criminal Court] of course, or the ICTY (the Yugoslav tribunal), is that the Nuremberg tribunal of course was a tribunal that consisted of judges drawn from the four victor countries and it was established by them, whereas these tribunals -- the Yugoslav tribunal and the Rwanda tribunal -- have been established by the Security Council. And the ICC has been established by treaty and the judges come from all parts of the world. That's progress, and in a sense it shows that it's not only one group of the international community but the entire international community which has an interest in these institutions and has a part in it.

Now an international judge, Thomas Buergenthal was one of the youngest survivors of the Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 17. He has served as judge and president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and as a member of the United Nations Truth Commission for El Salvador. Buergenthal was chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience. Buergenthal became a member of the International Court of Justice in March 2000, a seat he still occupies.

— US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Browse all ID Cards »
Browse all Oral Histories »


Related Holocaust Encyclopedia Articles:

Judging War Crimes Today »
Life After the Holocaust: Thomas Buergenthal »


Copyright © United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC