MILITARY GOVERNMENT—GERMANY

UNITED STATES ZONE

Ordinance No. 7 (18 October 1946)

The title of this Ordinance is "Organization and Powers of Certain Military Tribunals." See also amending Ordinance No. ii (17 February 1947), in Ira, pp. 369-70

ARTICLE I.—

The purpose of this Ordinance is to provide for the establishment of military tribunals which shall have power to try and punish persons charged with offenses recognized as crimes in Article II of Control Council Law No. 10, including conspiracies to commit any such crimes. Nothing herein shall prejudice the jurisdiction or the powers of other courts established or which may be established for the trial of any such offenses.

ARTICLE II.—

(a) Pursuant to the powers of the Military Governor for the United States Zone of Occupation within Germany and further pursuant to the powers conferred upon the Zone Commander by Control Council Law No. 10 and Articles 10 and 11 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal annexed to the London Agreement of 8 August 1945 certain tribunals to be known as "Military Tribunals" shall be established hereunder.

(b) Each such tribunal shall consist of three or more members to be designated by the Military Governor. One alternate member may be designated to any tribunal if deemed advisable by the Military Governor. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Article, all members and alternates shall be lawyers who have been admitted to practice, for at least five years, in the highest courts of one of the United States or its territories or of the District of Columbia, or who have been admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court.

(c) The Military Governor may in his discretion enter into an agreement with one or more other zone commanders of the member nations of the Allied Control Authority providing for the joint trial of any case or cases. In such cases the tribunals shall consist of three or more members as may be provided in the agreement. In such cases the tribunals may include properly qualified lawyers designated by the other member nations.

(d) The Military Governor shall designate one of the members of the tribunal to serve as the presiding judge.

(e) Neither the tribunals nor the members of the tribunals or the alternates may be challenged by the prosecution or by the defendants or their counsel.

(f) In case of illness of any member of a tribunal or his incapacity for some other reason, the alternate, if one has been designated, shall take his place as a member in the pending trial. Members may be replaced for reasons of health or for other good reasons, except that no replacement of a member may take place, during a trial, other than by the alternate. If no alternate has been designated, the trial shall be continued to conclusion the remaining members.

(g) The presence of three members of the tribunal or of two members when authorized pursuant to subsection (f) supra shall be necessary to constitute a quorum. In the case of tribunals designated under (c) above the agreement shall determine the requirements for a quorum.

(h) Decisions and judgments, including convictions and sentences, shall be by majority vote of the members. If the votes of the members are equally divided, the presiding member shall declare a mistrial.

ARTICLE III.—

(a) Charges against persons to be tried in the tribunals established hereunder shall originate in the Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes, appointed by the Military Governor pursuant to Paragraph 3 of Executive Order Numbered 9679 of the President of the United States dated 16 January 1946. The Chief of Counsel for War Crimes shall determine the persons to be tried by the tribunals and he or his designated representative shall file the indictments with the Secretary General of the tribunals (See Article XIV, infra) and shall conduct the prosecution.

(b) The Chief of Counsel for War Crimes, when in his judgment it is advisable, may invite one or more United Nations to designate representatives to participate in the prosecution of any case.

ARTICLE IV. — 

In order to ensure fair trial for the defendants, the following procedure shall be followed:

(a) A defendant shall be furnished, at a reasonable time before his trial, a copy of the indictment and of all documents lodged with the indictment, translated into a language which he understands. The indictment shall state the charges plainly, concisely and with sufficient particulars to inform defendant of the offenses charged.

(b) The trial shall be conducted in, or translated into, a language which the defendant understands.

(c) A defendant shall have the right to be represented by counsel of his own selection, provided such counsel shall be a person qualified under existing regulations to conduct cases before the courts of defendant’s country, or any other person who may be specially authorized by the tribunal. The tribunal shall appoint qualified counsel to represent a defendant who is not represented by counsel of his own selection.

(d) Every defendant shall be entitled to be present at his trial except that a defendant may be proceeded against during temporary absences if in the opinion of the tribunal defendant’s interests will not thereby be impaired, and except further as provided in Article VI (c). The tribunal may also proceed in the absence of any defendant who has applied for and has been granted permission to be absent.

(e) A defendant shall have the right through his counsel to present evidence at the trial in support of his defense, and to crossexamine any witness called by the prosecution.

(f) A defendant may apply in writing to the tribunal for the production of witnesses or of documents. The application shall state where the witness or document is thought to be located and shall also state the facts to be proved by the witness or the document and the relevancy of such facts to the defense. If the tribunal grants the application, the defendant shall be given such aid in obtaining production of evidence as the tribunal may order.

The tribunals shall have the power

(a) To summon witnesses to the trial, to require their attendance and testimony and to put questions to them;

(b) To interrogate any defendant who takes the stand to testify in his own behalf, or who is called to testify regarding another defendant;

(c) To require the production of documents and other evidentiary material;

(d) To administer oaths;

(e) To appoint officers for the carrying out of any task designated by the tribunals including the taking of evidence on commission;

(f) To adopt rules of procedure not inconsistent with this Ordinance. Such rules shall be adopted, and from time to time as necessary, revised by the members of the tribunals or by the committee of presiding judges as provided in Article XIII.

ARTICLE VI —

 The tribunals shall 

a) Confine the trial strictly to an expeditious hearing of the issues raised by the charges;

b) Take strict measures to prevent any action which will cause unreasonable delay, and rule out irrelevant issues and statements of any kind whatsoever;

c) Deal summarily with any contumacy, imposing appropriate punishment, including the exclusion of any defendant or his counsel from some or all further proceedings, but without prejudice to the determination of the charges.

ARTICLE VII — 

The tribunals shall not be bound by technical rules of evidence. They shall adopt and apply to the greatest possible extent expeditious and non-technical procedure, and shall admit any evidence which they deem to have probative value. Without limiting the foregoing general rules, the following shall be deemed admissible if they appear to the tribunal to contain information of probative value relating to the charges: affidavits, depositions, interrogations, and other statements, diaries, letters, the records, findings, statements and judgments of the military tribunals and the reviewing and confirming authorities of any of the United Nations, and copies of any document or other secondary evidence of the contents of any document, if the original is not readily available or cannot be produced without delay. The tribunal shall afford the opposing party such opportunity to question the authenticity or probative value of such evidence as in the opinion of the tribunal the ends of justice require.

ARTICLE VIII —

The tribunals may require that they be informed of the nature of any evidence before it is offered so that they may rule upon the relevance thereof.

The tribunals shall not require proof of facts of common knowledge but shall take judicial notice thereof. They shall also take judicial notice of official governmental documents and reports of any of the United Nations, including the acts and documents of the committees set up in the various Allied countries for the investigation of war crimes, and the records and findings of military or other tribunals of any of the United Nations.

The determinations of the International Military Tribunal in the judgments in Case No.1 that invasions, aggressive acts, aggressive wars, crimes, atrocities or inhumane acts were planned or occurred, shall be binding on the tribunals established hereunder and shall not he questioned except insofar as the participation therein or knowledge thereof by any particular person may be concerned. Statements of the International Military Tribunal in the judgment in Case No.1 constitute proof of the facts stated, in the absence of substantial new evidence to the contrary.

ARTICLE XI —

The proceedings at the trial shall take the following course:

a) The tribunal shall inquire of each defendant whether he has received and had an opportunity to read the indictment against him and whether he pleads "guilty" or "not guilty."

b) The prosecution may make an opening statement.

c) The prosecution shall produce its evidence subject to the cross examination of its witnesses.

d) The defense may make an opening statement.

e) The defense shall produce its evidence subject to the cross examination of its witnesses.

f) Such rebutting evidence as may be held by the tribunal to be material may be produced by either the prosecution or the defense.

g) The defense shall address the court.

h) The prosecution shall address the court.

i) Each defendant may make a statement to the tribunal.

j) The tribunal shall deliver judgment and pronounce sentence.

A Central Secretariat to assist the tribunals to be appointed hereunder shall be established as soon as practicable. The main office of the Secretariat shall be located in Nurnberg. The Secretariat shall consist of a Secretary General and such assistant secretaries, military officers, clerks, interpreters and other personnel as may be necessary.

ARTICLE XIII

The Secretary General shall he appointed by the Military Governor and shall organize and direct the work of the Secretariat. He shall be subject to the supervision of the members of the tribunals, except that when at least three tribunals shall be functioning, the presiding judges of the several tribunals may form the supervisory committee.

ARTICLE XIV

The Secretariat shall:

a) Be responsible for the administrative and supply needs of the Secretariat and of the several tribunals.

b) Receive all documents addressed to tribunals.

c) Prepare and recommend uniform rules of procedure, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance.

d) Secure such information for the tribunals as may be needed for the approval or appointment of defense counsel.

e) Serve as liaison between the prosecution and defense counsel.

f) Arrange for aid to be given defendants and the prosecution in obtaining production of witnesses or evidence as authorized by the tribunals.

g) Be responsible for the preparation of the records of the proceedings before the tribunals.

h) Provide the necessary clerical, reporting and interpretative services to the tribunals and its members, and perform such other duties as may be required for the efficient conduct of the proceedings before the tribunals, or as may be requested by any of the tribunals.

The judgments of the tribunals as to the guilt or the innocence of any defendant shall give the reasons on which they arc based and shall be final and not subject to review. The sentences imposed may be subject to review as provided in Article XVII, infra.

ARTICLE XVI

The tribunal shall have the right to impose upon the defendant, upon conviction, such punishment as shall be determined by the tribunal to be just, which may consist of one or more of the penalties provided in Article II, Section 3 of Control Council Law No. io.

a) Except as provided in

b) infra, the record of each case shall be forwarded to the Military Governor who shall have the

power to mitigate, reduce or otherwise alter the sentence imposed by the tribunal, hut may not

increase the severity thereof.

b) In cases tried before tribunals authorized by Article JI

c) the sentence shall be reviewed jointly by the Zone Commanders of the nations involved, who

may mitigate, reduce or otherwise alter the sentence by majority vote, but may not increase the severity thereof. If only two nations are represented, the sentence may be altered only by consent of both zone commanders.

ARTICLE XVIII

No sentence of death shall be carried into execution unless and until confirmed in writing by the Military Governor. In accordance with Article III, Section ~ of Law No. so, execution of the death sentence may be deferred by not to exceed one month after such confirmation if there is reason to believe that the testimony of the convicted person may be of value in the investigation and trial of other crimes.

Upon the pronouncement of a death sentence by a tribunal established thereunder and pending confirmation thereof, the condemned will he remanded to the prison or place where he was

confined and there be segregated from the other inmates, or be transferred to a more appropriate place of confinement.

ARTICLE XX

Upon the confirmation of a sentence of death the Military Governor will issue the necessary orders for carrying out the execution.

Where sentence of confinement for a term of years has been imposed the condemned shall be confined in the manner directed by the tribunal imposing sentence. The place of confinement may be changed from time to time by the Military Governor.

ARTICLE XXII

Any property declared to be forfeited or the restitution of which is ordered by a tribunal shall be delivered to the Military Governor, for disposal in accordance with Control Council Law No. io, Article 11(3).

ARTICLE XXIII

Any of the duties and functions of the Military Governor provided for herein may he delegated to the Deputy Military Governor. Any of the duties and functions of the Zone Corn- P mander provided for herein may be exercised by and in the name of the Military Governor and may be delegated to the Deputy Military Governor.