«I was the chief prosecutor in what was certainly the biggest murder trial in human history,» says Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg trials prosecutor and the subject of Barry Avrich‘s acclaimed new documentary feature Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, as we sit down at h Club LA to record an episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast. Ferencz, a 99-year-old Hungarian-born Jew, served the U.S. Army valiantly during World War II, fighting in numerous storied battles before becoming an investigator of Nazi war crimes at numerous concentration camps as the war wound to a close. And, after the Allied powers’ victory, Ferencz, at the tender age of just 27, was recruited to represent the the U.S. Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial. As he puts it, «I had no experience. I had never been in a courtroom before. But I knew my stuff.»
Prosecuting Evil, which is currently streaming on Netflix, was greeted with widespread acclaim following its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and its theatrical release on Feb. 22, 2019, and it currently stands at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Born to Orthodox Jewish farmers in Transylvania, Ferencz, at just nine months of age, was brought to America by his parents aboard a ship, passing the torch of the Statue of Liberty. («That light, I’m afraid, has gone out, and I very much regret it,» he says in reference to the Trump Administration’s attitudes towards today’s immigrants.) He grew up in poverty and around crime, but studied hard and gained admittance to City College of New York and then Harvard Law School, where he decided to pursue a career in crime prevention and studied with one of the world’s leading experts on what we now call war crimes, Prof. Sheldon Gluck. After graduating and passing the Bar, he entered the U.S. Army in 1943, starting in artillery and then moving to the judge advocate’s section of Gen. George S. Patton’s army. One of Ferencz’s most gut-wrenching assignments during his time in the service was to witness the liberation of numerous concentration camps and seize evidence for future war crimes trials against Nazis. «Anybody who says it didn’t happen,» he says in regard to Holocaust deniers, «they won’t say that didn’t happen to me.»
After Ferencz’s honorable discharge on Christmas of 1945, he returned stateside — only to be summoned to Washington and recruited to assist in Nuremberg, where, in addition to international military tribunal trials, there were 12 additional trials against people from other segments of Nazi Germany’s society. There originally were to be only 11 additional trials, but Ferencz fought for — and was empowered to serve as chief prosecutor at — a twelfth, the Einsatzgruppen trial, which weighed the behavior of 24 defendants who were alleged to have served as commanders in SS mobile death squads. Ferencz, at just 27 and standing at just 5’2″, delivered his opening statement while standing on a pile of books. «I didn’t recommend a death sentence for anybody,» he reminds. «I asked the court to affirm, as a matter of criminal law, the right of every human being to live in peace and human dignity, regardless of his race or creed. I said if I could get that, that would be a step forward — and that if these men be acquitted, then law has lost its meaning and man must live in fear. That stuck with the judges, and they gave me that judgment» — indeed, 22 defendants were found guilty on three out of three counts, and the other two were found guilty on one out of three counts — «and, of course, it’s been cited a thousand times since then.'»
Ferencz spent the rest of his career as a highly respected and successful lawyer. He was instrumental in the creation of the International Criminal Court in the Hague in 2002. And he continues to write and speak about war crimes to this day, just months shy of his 100th birthday. What is his secret? «There is no secret,» he insists with a chuckle. «I’ve lived a wholesome life. This morning I did my usual 75 pushups, among other things. I used to do 100, but they told me to slow down. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke.» He continues, «But what really drives me, if I want to confess my weaknesses, is the trauma. I had a discussion with God, at one point. I’d been to several of the camps, and it was really quite horrible. And I said, ‘God, how did you let this happen? How did it happen? Where are you still? And it’s still happening. I’m still waiting for an answer.’ But I didn’t wait for an answer. I said, ‘Benny, try to change it.’ And so I’ve spent my life trying to change it.»
While Ferencz feels that much progress has been made in the 75 years since World War II, he is far from satisfied. «Hitler’s happening again and again all around the world,» he laments. «I can look in the White House and pick a few out for you. John Bolton [until recently Pres. Trump’s National Security Advisor] is not a far cry from Hitler.» Ferencz feels particularly strongly about the Trump Administration’s separation of parents and child at the southern border. «That’s a crime against humanity,» he says, noting, with regard to Pres. Trump, «I would welcome them putting him on trial.» Would he himself like to again serve as a prosecutor at such a trial? «The ball is now passing to younger hands,» he demurs. «I have three pieces of advice: one, never give up; two, never give up; and three, never give up. The ball is yours. Never give up, kids.»
El director de Seguridad Pública Municipal de Chihuahua, Julio César Salas González, descartó asumir la titularidad de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Estado ante una eventual salida de Gilberto Loya Chávez, al asegurar que su prioridad es continuar al frente de la corporación municipal y concentrarse en las labores de seguridad de la capital.
El comisario fue enfático al señalar que no tiene interés en buscar otro cargo dentro de la administración estatal, luego de que surgieran versiones sobre posibles movimientos en la estructura de seguridad. Agradeció que su nombre sea tomado en cuenta, pero reiteró que su compromiso actual y permanente es con la Policía Municipal de Chihuahua.
Las declaraciones se dieron después de los señalamientos realizados por la gobernadora Maru Campos, quien advirtió que los funcionarios con aspiraciones electorales rumbo a 2027 deberán separarse de sus cargos. En ese contexto, Salas sostuvo que no mantiene ninguna intención de participar en procesos políticos ni de asumir nuevas responsabilidades fuera de la corporación que encabeza.
El director de Seguridad Pública Municipal subrayó que su objetivo central es consolidar mejores resultados en materia de seguridad durante el próximo año, particularmente en la reducción de homicidios y robos. Indicó que cualquier distracción en esta área puede generar consecuencias inmediatas para la ciudad, por lo que consideró indispensable mantener el enfoque en las tareas operativas y estratégicas.
Asimismo, afirmó que su principal preocupación es mantener y sostener los avances alcanzados hasta ahora en la capital del estado. Señaló que estos resultados han sido posibles gracias al trabajo de los elementos de la corporación municipal y al respaldo institucional que ha recibido por parte del alcalde Marco Bonilla y de la gobernadora del estado.
Salas reiteró que continuará desempeñando sus funciones al frente de la Policía Municipal, con el objetivo de fortalecer la seguridad y dar continuidad a las acciones implementadas en la ciudad.
