NUREMBURIED
Last surviving Nuremburg prosecutor Ben Ferencz has died aged 103. The Transylvania-born Ferencz fled with his family to New York when he was ten months old to escape from the antisemitism infesting Romania. He studied law, joined the Army in WWII, and was selected to investigate liberated concentration camps (most notoriously Buchenwald) to gauge the extent of Nazi war crimes. The full extent of antisemitism’s horrors were seared into his mind, and he rarely discussed what he witnessed as he fastidiously gained evidence to prosecute those responsible.
At Nuremburg, Ferencz was selected as Chief Prosecutor for the Einsatzgruppen trial against the leaders of mobile SS death squads. It was his first case, and so compelling was his evidence (utilising the documents he gathered without a need for witnesses) that all 24 defendants were convicted. He was dedicated to justice for the remainder of his long life, playing a key role in the development of the International Criminal Court, and consistently scathed 21st century war criminals such as Putin, Saddam, and Dubya. He earned every day of his 103 years and it satisfies to see him outlive virtually all the Nazi guards. Five teams gain the points.
Ben Ferencz
11 March 1920 – 7 April 2023, aged 103
5 TEAMS (💀💀💀💀 4 POINTS, 🃏 (x1) 8 POINTS)