Second Nuremberg War Trials

The Second Nuremberg War Trials was series of military tribunals convened by the Terran Alliance after the Galactic Civil War by the Terran Alliance under international law and the laws of war. The trials were held to prosecute prominent Imperial military officers and political officials accused of war crimes. While most Imperial officers tried for war crimes were tried by the Republic, a handful of officers and political officials were held accountable for war crimes against the Terran Alliance, either for treatment of Terran prisoners of war or crimes committed during Operation Nightcloak, and were therefore handed over to the Alliance to be tried.

While there were many trials that tried over 100 Imperials, the most famous and well covered trials were the trials held against 28 high ranking Imperials who committed serious crimes, as well as a captured Hutt who was also accused of war crimes against the Alliance. The trials began on August 7, 2019, just 4 and a half months after the end of the Galactic Civil War. The trials lasted for over a year, with the final trial concluding on September 1, 2020.

The trials were one of the most publicized events in the world since World War II. After the end of the trials, over half of the convicts were sentenced to death, with most of the remaining defendants receiving life in prison. The trials also proved to be a point of contention between the Terran Alliance and New Republic, as some of the New Republic's new leaders did not believe that the Alliance had any right over the Republic to try Imperial war criminals.

## Origin

The idea of whether or not the Terran Alliance would be allowed to try Imperial war criminals was first considered by Terran leaders as early as the start of the Galactic Civil War. However, the idea never made it into real discussion until after the Battle of Endor.

After the New Republic was established on December 7, 2017, an early request brought to the Senate was a request that Imperial war criminals who had committed crimes against the Terran Alliance, either in the treatment of Terran prisoners of war, cruel treatment of Terran forces in combat in the Andromeda Galaxy, or against Terran civilians during Operation Nightcloak, be handed over to the Terran Alliance for trial after the war, as well as a request that a Terran representative be allowed to sit in on Republic military tribunals against Imperials. Much of the Senate fought against this, seeing this as another attempt by the Terran Alliance to gain greater power and influence in the Andromeda Galaxy. They also saw themselves as having much more of a right to try Imperial war criminals than the Terrans. However, Terran supporters in the Senate argued that the Terran Alliance had been the workhorse of the Allied forces in the war and handled the lion's share of the fighting, which gave them just as much of a right.

Eventually, the Terran supporters, led by Leia and Mon Mothma, were able to win out, and the Senate agreed to the Alliance's request. However, the issue was still debated throughout the following year before discussions on the matter died down.

As the war progressed following the Battle of Endor, any captured Imperial officers or political officials captured by the Republic believed to have committed war crimes against the Terran Alliance were immediately handed over to the Terran Alliance. All such officers and officials were imprisoned in the Spire, the most maximum security building within Camp Zulu, a maximum security military prison on the island of Diego Garcia.

During the last few months of 2018, with the knowledge that the war was coming to an end, the Terran Alliance began making preparations to try Imperial war criminals in their jurisdiction. It was decided that the judges would come from the five member nations of the Council of Five (United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China), the countries invaded during Operation Nightcloak (Jordan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Canada), Germany (the eventual site of the trials), 4 other nations picked at random ( India, Japan, Australia and Nigeria) and two other member worlds of the Alliance (Torfa and Alfenon). It was also decided that the trials would be held in Nuremberg, Germany, and were considered by many to a reconvening of the original Nuremberg Military Tribunals. Many viewed this decision as being influenced by popular opinion that compared the actions of the Empire to that of Nazi Germany.

After the end of the war, it was determined that over a hundred Imperials would be tried in the trials. However, the main focus was on 28 high ranking Imperials who were convicted of the most serious war crimes, and a Hutt allied with the Empire who had been captured in the Battle of Coruscant and charged with war crimes against the Alliance.