Benjamin Ferencz, Last Surviving Nuremberg Prosecutor and Human Rights Advocate, Passes Away at 103

Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, has died aged 103. Ferencz was a tireless advocate for human rights and an important figure in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.

Ferencz was born in Transylvania, Romania in 1920 and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 11. He served in the US Army during World War II and helped to liberate several concentration camps. After the war, he was appointed Chief Prosecutor for the Nuremberg trials, where he successfully secured convictions against 22 Nazi death squad commanders.

Ferencz was also a key figure in securing compensation for Holocaust survivors and creating the International Criminal Court at The Hague. He wrote nine books and dozens of articles, gave countless speeches and traveled the world into his 90s spreading his motto of “law not war.”

Ferencz’s death marks the end of an era. He was the last living prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, which marked the first time in history that mass murderers were prosecuted for war crimes. His legacy will live on through his tireless advocacy for human rights and his commitment to justice.