Ben Ferencz

Benjamin Ferencz
Black-and-white photograph of Ferencz, aged 27, wearing a black pinstriped suit and a dark tie
Born
Benjamin Berell Ferencz

(1920-03-11)March 11, 1920
DiedApril 7, 2023(2023-04-07) (aged 103)
NationalityAmerican
Education
Known forProsecutor at the Einsatzgruppen trial
Spouse
Gertrude Fried
(m. 1946; died 2019)
Children4
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945
RankSergeant
Battles / warsWorld 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.

  1. ^ Jazz Tangcay (January 22, 2020). "'Prosecuting Evil' Director Barry Avrich on the Race to Complete Nuremberg Trial Doc". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Making of a Prosecutor". Benjamin B. Ferencz. October 24, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2023.