SOSC 2351 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Nuremberg Trials, Genocide Convention, Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

• School: York University
• Department: Social Science
• Course: SOSC 2351
• Professor: Tanja Juric

Document Summary

Greek "genos" (race, nation or tribe) + latin "cide" (killing) Involves the destruction of human groups, specifically nations and ethnic groups (lemkin, 1944, p. 79; 1947, p. 147) "a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of the essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves" (lemkin, 1944, p. 79) "the deliverate and systematic extermination of a national or ethnic group" (oxford english dictionary) Focus is on group destruction; not just murder, but acts that destroy the social, economic, cultural, religious and moral foundation of the group. 1946: first official use of the term in indictments of 24 nazi officials by the international military tribunal at nuremberg (nuremberg tribunal) Charged with war crimes "conducted deliberate and systematic genocide, viz. the extermination of racial and national groups " Final judgment did not make reference to genocide. 1948: convention on the punishment and prevention of the crime of genocide (genocide convention)