Benjamin Ferencz | |
---|---|
Born | Benjamin Berell Ferencz March 11, 1920 |
Died | April 7, 2023 Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 103)
Nationality | American |
Education | |
Known for | Prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen trial |
Spouse |
Gertrude Fried
(m. 1946; died 2019) |
Children | 4 |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Battles / wars | World War II |
Benjamin Berell Ferencz (March 11, 1920 – April 7, 2023) was an American lawyer. He was an investigator of Nazi war crimes after World War II and the chief prosecutor[1] for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen trial, one of the 12 subsequent Nuremberg trials held by US authorities at Nuremberg, Germany. When the Einsatzgruppen reports were discovered, Ferencz pushed for a trial based on their evidence. When confronted with a lack of staff and resources, he personally volunteered to serve as the prosecutor.[2]
Later he became an advocate of international rule of law and for the establishment of an International Criminal Court. From 1985 to 1996, he was an adjunct professor of international law at Pace University.