International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg)

The International Military Tribunal (IMT) was the tribunal established under the London Charter of 8 August 1945, agreed by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, to try the major war criminals of the European Axis. It sat at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany, in the American occupation zone, and its principal proceeding, the Trial of the Major War Criminals, ran from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946. The tribunal established that individuals, including heads of state and military commanders, bear personal criminal responsibility under international law for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace, and that obedience to superior orders is not by itself a defense.