Assessment of the Political and Security Decisions of the Nuremberg Trials from a Legal Perspective

Liana Spytska1

Abstract
The relevance of the study of the legal frameworks of the political and security decisions of the Nuremberg Trials is difficult to overestimate, because many so-called “substantive” and “procedural” aspects remain debatable, and sometimes understudied. The purpose of this study is to conduct a thorough examination of the legal elements associated with political and security decisions made in response to the activities of the International Military Tribunal. Formal and logical, systemic and structural, comparative and historical methods were used. The article provides a comprehensive, generalized, legal study of the legal aspects of the
administration of justice during the Nuremberg Trials with a critical understanding
of its individual foundations (principles). The article substantiates the understanding of the “ex post facto” principle from two aspects: substantive and procedural.

Keywords: International Military Tribunal, crimes against peace, war crimes,
crimes against humanity, genocide, “ex post facto” principle, “jus
cogens” norm.