Robert Servatius
Encyclopedia
Robert Servatius was a German
lawyer, prominent in his profession in Cologne
.
officer, and during the Second World War returned to military service, rising to the rank of Major. He was never a member of the Nazi Party, and was never connected with any of its crimes. At the Nuremberg Trials
he served as a criminal defense lawyer
.
Notable cases he argued included the defense of Fritz Sauckel
, Karl Brandt and Paul Pleiger
at Nuremberg
, and of Adolf Eichmann
in Jerusalem.
A number of lawyers had offered to appear for his defense, and Eichmann chose Servatius. As a result, the Israeli law had to be changed to enable this, as until that time foreign lawyers had no right of audience in the Israeli courts. The change made enabled only those facing a capital charge to be represented by a non-Israeli lawyer. Before he was appointed to defend Eichmann, Mossad
investigated the past history of Servatius, but they found nothing which greatly troubled them. Although hired by Eichmann, Servatius was paid by the Israeli government, following a precedent set at Nuremberg. He was assisted in the defense of Eichmann by Dieter Wechtenbruch.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
lawyer, prominent in his profession in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
Life
Servatius was born in Cologne on 31 October 1894. In the First World War he served as an artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
officer, and during the Second World War returned to military service, rising to the rank of Major. He was never a member of the Nazi Party, and was never connected with any of its crimes. At the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
he served as a criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. Criminal defense lawyers can be permanently employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts. Such lawyers are often called public defenders. For a much more...
.
Notable cases he argued included the defense of Fritz Sauckel
Fritz Sauckel
Ernst Friedrich Christoph "Fritz" Sauckel was a Nazi war criminal, who organized the systematic enslavement of millions from lands occupied by Nazi Germany...
, Karl Brandt and Paul Pleiger
Paul Pleiger
Paul Pleiger was a German state adviser and corporate general director....
at Nuremberg
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, and of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
in Jerusalem.
A number of lawyers had offered to appear for his defense, and Eichmann chose Servatius. As a result, the Israeli law had to be changed to enable this, as until that time foreign lawyers had no right of audience in the Israeli courts. The change made enabled only those facing a capital charge to be represented by a non-Israeli lawyer. Before he was appointed to defend Eichmann, Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
investigated the past history of Servatius, but they found nothing which greatly troubled them. Although hired by Eichmann, Servatius was paid by the Israeli government, following a precedent set at Nuremberg. He was assisted in the defense of Eichmann by Dieter Wechtenbruch.