Scene from the trial of 24 leading Nazi criminals at Nuremberg. Three were acquitted, charges were dropped against two, seven received prison sentences and 12 of these were sentenced to hang. At the first Nuremberg trial it was held that the Nazi Party was a criminal conspiracy. Not all defendants were found guilty for all acts of this conspiracy, but certain defenses were not accepted. Following orders would not excuse guilt for murder. There were other war crimes trials, at which the principle of command responsibility was upheld – a commander has a duty to restrain subordinates from committing war crimes. Throughout the Cold War the Nuremberg Principles became something of a dead letter. Afterward, in international trials for atrocities in Rwanda, West Africa and the former Yugoslavia, and now in the proceedings of the International Criminal Court, this body of law is again being developed and enforced. US Army photo.