WAR CRIMINALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25346, 30 October 1945, Page 5

WAR CRIMINALS

TRIAL PREPARATIONS PROCEDURE AT NUREMBERG (Reed. (>.30 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 29 Plans for the trial of the major German war criminals, due to open in Nuremberg in three weeks' time, will be carried a stage further by r meeting of the international tribunal to draw up the rules of procedure. Members of the British prosecutor's staff think the arguments for the defence may go on most of the winter. The costliest trial in history, the indictment of the Nazi Government and kindred organisations, will be held within a ring of tanks and guns in Nuremberg's Palace of Justice, beginning on November 20, says the Daily Express. The German people will bear the expense. which is estimated at £5.000,000. Each of 60,000,000 Germans may offer to give evidence at the trial, according to a notice published through all newspapers, radio stations and poster-boards. The Nazi defendants have been told that Robert Ley, the German Labour Front leader, committed suicide, but they hare not been told the method by which he took his life. All the 22 have briefed. German counsel, who will be brought to Nuremberg and housed and fed at the Court's expense. The General Council of the Bar passed a resolution to the effect that it was undesirable that a member of the English Bar should appear for the defence of par criminals, accused before the international military tribunal at Nuremberg. ' _ . Another resolution said that < it was not part of the duty of an English barrister to appear in any foreign Court, before which he possessed no exclusive right of audience, although, he was entitled to appear. The Council held it to be the duty of & barrister, if properly instructed, to appear in any court in whidh he was accustomed to practise, this duty arising from the exclusive right of audience accorded the English Bar in England, and included acceptance of a brief for a defendant charged with treason. It is expected that Russia. France and the Lnited States will follow the example of the.British with regard to the defence of war criminals. In the American zone, it is. hoped to start the Dachau trial before the end of next month, although fewer than 20 of the 200 officials accused of atrocities at the camp are in custody. _ . It is announced in Helsinki that trials of Finnish war criminals will begin next, month. The first case to be heard will b« against the former President or Finland, 1? is to R.yiti, and several exCabinet Ministers. REFUSAL TO DISEMBARK GESTURE BY REFUGEE JEWS (Kpcrl. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 20 Several hundred Jewish refugees who had certificates allowing them to enter Palestine, refused to disembark at Haifa until they knew what had happened to 39 other passengers from the same ship without certificates. They disembarked later after they had been told that trie 3y would not be allowed to enter the country until their status could he settled. All five Arab members pf the I alestine War Economic Advisory Committee have resigned, reports Reuters Jerusalem correspondent. They gave as their reason the Government's maintenance of parity of representation between Arabs and .Tews, in spite of assurances to the contrary. . . The Arab members maintained that representation should be two to one in favour of the Arabs on a population basis.

The British Pririie Minister, Mr Attlee, is expected to make a statement on Palestine, probably on Thursday.