Criminal
03-15-2003, 09:48 AM
The fact that the defendant acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior shall not free him from responsibility, but may be considered in mitigation of punishment if the Tribunal determine that justice so requires
From Charter of the International Military Tribunal, August, 1945. Article 8.
It is most interesting to note that the same laws that the Soviet Union made sure were enforced at Nuremberg were never applied to their nation. At Nuremberg men like Alfred Jodl and Wilhelm Keitel were executed for what they said was following orders.
In later years Nikita Khrushchev denounced the recently dead Josef Stalin. Though the denounciation was in secret, it torn through Soviet Russia. Khrushchev said that what was wrong with the Stalinist era was not that the Soviet State was evil but rather, that the "Cult of Personality" was to blame for all that was evil.
Now remember that Khrushchev was himself a very major player in Stalins police state. Remember also that, in spite of some loosening up of freedoms, the Soviet Union, thought better off under Khrushchev than Stalin, was still far from being a free nation. In fact it was that same Khrushchev that later sent his butchers in Hungary in 1956 to destroy all freedoms in that nation.
Today we hear many ex KGB, including President Vladimir Putin, tell that they were only following the orders. We hear so many appologists for everything that happened during Stalins rule. We hear how Khrushchev was only buying time until Stalin was dead. We are able to dismiss the millions of dead the Stalinst butchers racked up. Everyone has the same excuse: it was only orders.
The excuse was always the same. It was the the same in Nazi Germany as it is in USSR. It was only orders. It did not save the Nazis from the gallows. The only reason it works for the Soviets is because they won the war.
From Charter of the International Military Tribunal, August, 1945. Article 8.
It is most interesting to note that the same laws that the Soviet Union made sure were enforced at Nuremberg were never applied to their nation. At Nuremberg men like Alfred Jodl and Wilhelm Keitel were executed for what they said was following orders.
In later years Nikita Khrushchev denounced the recently dead Josef Stalin. Though the denounciation was in secret, it torn through Soviet Russia. Khrushchev said that what was wrong with the Stalinist era was not that the Soviet State was evil but rather, that the "Cult of Personality" was to blame for all that was evil.
Now remember that Khrushchev was himself a very major player in Stalins police state. Remember also that, in spite of some loosening up of freedoms, the Soviet Union, thought better off under Khrushchev than Stalin, was still far from being a free nation. In fact it was that same Khrushchev that later sent his butchers in Hungary in 1956 to destroy all freedoms in that nation.
Today we hear many ex KGB, including President Vladimir Putin, tell that they were only following the orders. We hear so many appologists for everything that happened during Stalins rule. We hear how Khrushchev was only buying time until Stalin was dead. We are able to dismiss the millions of dead the Stalinst butchers racked up. Everyone has the same excuse: it was only orders.
The excuse was always the same. It was the the same in Nazi Germany as it is in USSR. It was only orders. It did not save the Nazis from the gallows. The only reason it works for the Soviets is because they won the war.