Director Klaus Rackwitz participated online in an international panel discussion on 21 November 2020 which formed part of the thematic platform ‘Historical Truth or Propaganda: How to Talk about War and Genocide in the Modern Public Landscape’. The panel discussion was held in the margins of ‘The Lessons of Nuremberg’ International Scientific and Practical Forum, organised by the Victory Museum in Moscow.
His presentation was entitled ‘The Significance of the Nuremberg Principles – Past, Present and Future’ and highlighted the creation, relevance and future importance of the Nuremberg Principles which were adopted by the first UN General Assembly in 1946 and subsequently formulated by the International Law Commission who adopted and presented them 70 years ago in 1950. Although never formally approved by the UN General Assembly, the Nuremberg Principles became the foundation of international criminal law and formed the basis for all subsequently established international courts and tribunals including the International Criminal Court (ICC). Klaus Rackwitz highlighted that even though the principles remained undisputed, alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide still go unpunished due to the vetoes of permanent members of the UN Security Council against the establishment of special jurisdictions or a referral of the situations to the ICC. He further criticized the unprecedented attack from the current government of the USA against the ICC and its representatives. He also emphasised the fact that newly emerging crimes like terrorism and cybercrime required a universal combatting strategy which the Nuremberg Principles already provides for core international crimes.