Book Review: The Eichmann Trial
9 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2012 Last revised: 22 Oct 2015
Date Written: July 31, 2012
Abstract
This is a review of Deborah Lipstadt's book "The Eichmann Trial." It focuses on the book's treatment of legal issues that arose in the case, including the thorny jurisdictional questions related to Eichmann's seizure by Israeli agents in Argentina, Israel serving as the forum state, immunity, and the role of victims. The review suggests that, in light of the significant role played by victims as set forth in the book, the Eichmann trial was a forerunner of the International Criminal Court and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. The piece also examines the book's analysis of the strategies adopted by both the prosecution and defense. As well, it considers the book's efforts to place the Eichmann prosecution into the context of other important Holocaust legal proceedings, including the Nuremberg trials and Lipstadt's own case against Holocaust-denier David Irving. Finally, it assesses the book's contribution to existing literature on the Eichmann trial, including its relation to and treatment of Hannah Arendt's famous book "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil."
Keywords: International Criminal Law, International Criminal Procedure, Human Rights, Criminal Law, the Holocaust, Criminal Law
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